“Strike the bell, adventurous stranger,
Strike it now and bide the danger,
Or wonder til it drives you mad,
What would have happened if you had.”
- CS Lewis. “The Magician’s Nephew”.
Love and desire are powerful forces that move and shape the universe in ways incomprehensible. It can create feelings of utter loss, calamity, great euphoria and even bitter hate. It can sow marriages, lust or even wars, like the famous Trojan war instigated by Aphrodite and Helena.
The great Eastern Goddess Astarte, also known as Ishtar, Hathor, Jadis, Morgana Le Faye, Nimue and later Hellenised to Aphrodite, is the personification of this force, this manifestation of Love, Lust and Desire. She is an aspect of the Great Mother, the Goddess of the Witches. She is Babalon. She is Isis unveiled.
But beware. To look upon her, un-initiated, is certain death.
Yet we are drawn to her like moths to a flame- even when it burns us, over and over, again and yet again. Women (and some men) crave to be like her- and risk offending her with disastrous consequences; And men (and some women) seek her out, only to find themselves led to a point of no return, as in the classic poem La Belle Dame Sans Merci.
She is our Destiny and our doom, yet to live without her is to live in eternal death.
In this talk, we will explore her magic, her spells, her mystery and her importance in magic. We will also explore the concepts and philosophies of love, the science of love and attraction and finally, the ethics and fate of her deeds and games.
Welcome, seeker, to the realm of She who should not be named.
Stephanos (Summoner and Priest) and Loz (Priestess)- The Sydney Coven, Southern Temple of the Mother.
