Goddesses "Listen to the words of the Great Mother, who of all was called Artemis, Astarte, Dione, Melusime, Aphrodite, Ceridwen, Diana, Arianrhod, Brigid and many other names"     Doreen Valiente                Aradia Aradia is the daughter of the goddess Diana who came to Earth to teach Witchcraft to her worshippers. According to the book ARADIA-The Gospel Of Witches by Charles G Leland, the story of Aradia is based upon a manuscript given to him detailing the beliefs of an undiscovered Witchcraft tradition in Tuscany.      The Gospel starts with Aradia being born to her mother the goddess Diana and her father Lucifer, who is described as the god of the sun and of the moon, the god of light and splendor and that he was so proud of his beauty. Diana asks Aradia to go to Earth below to teach women and men that were willing the art of Witchcraft. Aradia does as her mother asks, becoming the first Witch and promising her students that "ye shall all be freed from slavery, and so ye shall be free in everything".      Aradia still plays a role in modern Pagan and Wiccan movements and another author Margaret Murray went on to compare the book's claims with her  thesis that Renaissance Witchcraft represented a survival of Ancient Pagan Beliefs as do the works of Gerald Gardner. The Charge of the Goddess by Doreen Valiente is an important piece of writing used in Wiccan rituals and was inspired by the speech to Aradia in the first chapter of the book and she is sometimes referred to as the Goddess or Queen of Witches. Another passage in the book Aradia is "and as the sign that ye are truly free, ye shall be naked in your rites", it is suggested that this is the reason why some go Skyclad or naked when they practice their rites. Below is an extract from the first chapter of Aradia Gospel of Witches: <DIR> </DIR> <DIR> When I shall have departed from this world, Whenever ye have need of anything, Once in the month, and when the moon is full, Ye shall assemble in some desert place, Or in a forest all together join To adore the potent spirit of your queen, My mother, great Diana. She who fain Would learn all sorcery yet has not won Its deepest secrets, them my mother will Teach her, in truth all things as yet unknown. And ye shall all be freed from slavery, And so ye shall be free in everything; And as the sign that ye are truly free, Ye shall be naked in your rites, both men And women also. </DIR>    Click Here For more Goddesses

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