Tarot Fellow
The Witches' Goddess — Janet and Stewart Farrar Wicca Book on Divine Feminine
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The Witches’ Goddess — the companion volume to The Witches’ God by the influential Wiccan authors Janet and Stewart Farrar. This seminal work explores goddess mythology, divine feminine archetypes across world cultures, and the worship of the goddess in modern Wicca. From maiden to crone, the book maps the spectrum of feminine divine energy with the Farrars’ characteristic depth, scholarship, and practical application. An essential read for Wiccan practitioners, feminist spirituality seekers, and anyone drawn to goddess-centered practice.
Description:Quick Specs
- Title: The Witches' Goddess: The Feminine Principle of Divinity
- Authors: Janet Farrar and Stewart Farrar
- Category: Wicca, Paganism, Goddess spirituality
- Best for: Intermediate to advanced practitioners, coven leaders, solitary Wiccans seeking a reference companion
Who Are the Farrars and Why Does This Book Matter?
Janet and Stewart Farrar are among the most respected author-practitioners in the history of modern Wicca. Originally initiated by Alex Sanders in the early 1970s, they spent decades teaching, leading covens, and writing books that bridge rigorous historical research with living ritual practice. Their earlier works, including Eight Sabbats for Witches and A Witches' Bible, became standard references in Wiccan study for a generation of practitioners. The Witches' Goddess, first published in 1987, continues that tradition by turning the same careful lens on the feminine divine specifically.
This is not a Wicca 101 book. The Farrars draw on ancient Mesopotamian texts, Celtic mythology, Jungian psychology, and comparative religion scholarship to build a thorough case for the Goddess as a living, multifaceted reality in human spiritual life. Readers who have worked through beginner titles will find here the kind of depth and specificity that separates serious study from surface-level spirituality.
Three-Part Structure: History, Ritual, and a 1,000-Goddess Reference
The book is organized into three distinct sections. Part one traces the Goddess concept through human history, from early matriarchal cultures and the role of women in early religious life, through the rise of patriarchal religions, and into the modern Wiccan revival, including discussion of Dion Fortune's formulation that all goddesses are one Goddess. This section covers her Earth and Moon symbolism, Jungian shadow archetypes, and her disguised survival inside Christianity in the form of the Virgin Mary.
Part two provides thirteen in-depth goddess portraits, each with a full mythological narrative and a ritual invocation written for actual practice. Goddesses covered include Ishtar, Isis, Hecate, Aphrodite, Epona, Ma'at, and Arianrhod, drawn from Egyptian, Babylonian, Greek, and Celtic traditions. The rituals are primarily written for coven use, though solitary practitioners regularly adapt them. Part three is an alphabetical glossary of more than 1,000 goddess names and aspects from cultures worldwide, making it an invaluable quick-reference when selecting a deity for a specific working. Browse my Paganism and Wicca books for companion titles that pair well with this text.
Readers should know that some of the Farrars' sources reflect the scholarship of the 1980s, which has since been revised in certain areas, particularly around claims about prehistoric matriarchies. The book remains highly recommended as a living tradition resource and a myth-and-ritual reference, though readers may wish to supplement it with more recent academic work on goddess traditions in specific cultures.
How to Use The Witches' Goddess
Three practical approaches to getting the most out of The Witches' Goddess as both a study text and a working ritual reference.
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Read Part One for Context
Begin with the historical and philosophical section to understand the Farrars' framework. Their treatment of Jungian archetypes, the triple goddess concept, and the historical suppression of the feminine divine grounds the rest of the book.
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Use Part Two for Ritual Planning
When planning a ritual honoring a specific goddess, turn to the relevant portrait in part two. Each chapter gives the deity's mythology, correspondences, and a complete invocation or ritual script adaptable for both coven and solitary use.
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Use Part Three as a Working Reference
Keep the book accessible during ritual planning and deity research. The 1,000-plus goddess glossary in part three allows quick cross-referencing when you encounter an unfamiliar name or want a deity associated with a specific theme or region.
The Tarot Fellow Standard
I carry The Witches' Goddess because the Farrars are foundational authors in the Wiccan tradition and this title consistently appears on recommended reading lists for intermediate practitioners. It earns its place not as a light read but as a serious reference: the kind of book you keep on the shelf and return to when planning a sabbat ritual, researching a specific deity, or deepening your understanding of the Goddess as a living theological concept. For companion texts, browse my full spellcraft and witchcraft books collection.
Frequently Asked Questions
The Witches' Goddess covers the feminine divine in three sections: the history and symbolism of the Goddess, ritual invocations of thirteen individual goddesses, and a glossary of more than 1,000 goddess names from cultures worldwide.
The book is best suited to intermediate and advanced practitioners. Part one assumes familiarity with Wiccan concepts, and the ritual scripts in part two are most useful to those with some ritual experience. Beginners may find the depth challenging.
Yes. Part two contains full ritual invocations for thirteen goddesses including Isis, Hecate, Aphrodite, and Arianrhod. Each is written primarily for coven use but adapts well for solitary practice, with mythology, correspondences, and invocations.
Yes. The Witches' God by the Farrars is the direct companion volume, applying the same three-part structure to the masculine divine in Wicca. Many practitioners keep both on their reference shelf as a complete paired set of deity research resources.
