The Wiccan Charge begins with the words  "Listen to the words of the Great Mother, who of old was also called among men Artemis, Astarte, Dione, Melusine, Aphrodite, Cerridwen, Diana, Arianrhod, Bride, and by many other names." What are some of the other names? Hecate, Persephone, Selene, Cybele, Demeter, Rhea, Gaia, Astraea, Ceres, Isis, Hathor, Venus, Psyche, Sophia, Shakti. These are all names of our Goddess. How can one goddess be known by so many names? How can one goddess have multiple faces? We find the same fact is stated by pagan philosophers of the first millenium. The Metamorphoses of Apuleius is a Latin text from the 2nd century CE. The story is of a young man called Lucius who is eager to be initiated into the mystery cult of Isis. The secrets of the cult are explained to him before he goes through the process of initiation, which involved a trial by the elements during a journey to the underworld. Lucius also seeks initiation into the cult of Osiris, and...

Although Wiccans often refer to the Lord and Lady by Celtic names, it must be known that the Celtic culture is a relatively new development in the history of human kind. Anthropologists tell us that the human race first evolved in Africa and began to slowly spread across the world. Just as humanity began in Africa, so did religion and spirituality. The most ancient of gods and goddesses are found in the cradle of humanity. As people migrated, different cultures developed, different languages developed, and new names for the gods and goddesses were found. No ethnic group is entirely unique and different from the rest of human kind. Each ethnic group carries the heritage of their ancestors, who ultimately are traced back to a common origin. The migration of the human race out of Africa is estimated to have occurred about 70,000 years ago. The first step out of Africa wa into Asia Minor, then to India, Australasia, the far East, and North America. Only 30,000 years ago did humans begi...

The sacred texts of the Egyptian pyramids identify the Pharaoh with both Horus and Osiris. During life on Earth, the Pharaoh is identified as Horus, but during death he is known as Osiris. The notion of Horus as the Pharaoh seems to have been superseded by the concept of the Pharaoh as the son of Ra during the Fifth Dynasty of Egypt. Ra is the Egyptian god of the midday sun. Ra was identified with another sun god, Atum, and so they became known as Atum-Ra. Later, Ra was identified with Horus, and combined they were known as Re-Horakhty. Following this, Ra was identified with Amun and became known as Amun-Ra. For a while, the worship of Ra was replaced with another solar deity, Aten. Every dawn, the goddess of the night sky, Nut, gave birth to Ra, and in the evening he descended back into the underworld. When equated with Horus and Osiris, Ra is born as Horus at dawn and becomes Osiris at dusk. Osiris is the Egyptian god of the Underworld. He is depicted as a partially mumm...