Astrum Lucifera

16/02/2026

...Why I believe using the word "God" is misogynistic.

13/02/2026

Let's talk about Lilith 🔥

11/02/2026

Streghe Dianiche in Italia 👇 e le loro offerte ✨️

06/02/2026

Sophia, Isis, and the Gnostic Goddess, Part I of“The Gnostic Goddess, Female Power, and the ‘Fallen Sophia’,” Chapter 6 in my unfolding open access book Magna Mater, Paulianity, and the Imperial Church.
"Among the anathematized scriptures were writings that envisioned Wisdom as a female creator. Some highlighted female disciples of Yeshua, particularly Maryam of Magdala, as advanced initiates into secret teachings unknown to the male disciples. For example, the Pistis Sophia names Mary Magdalene, Salome and Martha. Some Gnostics maintained that the “Three Marys” were part of the inner circle of Christian disciples and that women were present at the Last Supper. (They must have been, since it was a Seder; the Christian Bible says that Jesus “lay down at table” with the disciples—the custom of reclining at Seder on Passover). A woman, possibly Mary Magdalene, sits at the Last Supper in early murals of the Roman catacombs.

"Female leadership is a key theme in the writings, and in contemporary accounts about these communities. Tertullian complained that Gnostics elected women priests, bishops and prophets to baptize, teach, exorcize and heal. They rejected authoritarian priesthood and gave the kiss of peace to all: “they all have access equally, they listen equally, they pray equally—even pagans, if any happen to come.” Tertullian was horrified that females were not barred from priestly acts, but were teaching, debating, ministering:

'These heretical women—how audacious they are! They have no modesty; they are bold enough to teach, to engage in argument, to enact exorcisms, to undertake cures, and, it may be, even to baptize! [De Praescriptione Haereticorum, in Pagels 1979: 60]'..
"Gnostic spiritual practice aimed for reunion of human consciousness with the Pleroma, the “Fullness” pervading the entire universe. A saying attributed to Simon Magus describes “an infinite power... the root of the universe” living in everyone. [Hippolytus, in Pagels 1979: 134] The Gospel of Truth says “... in you dwells the light that does not fail...” [Pagels 1979: 128]

"The Arab Gnostic Monoimus taught that theology was not the right starting point, and counseled seekers to stop thinking about external matters, and to look for the divine within instead. Understanding would come from investigating the origins of the passions and involuntary states, and the discovery of the Divine, “unity and plurality, in thyself.” Another source says that the human is a reflection of the Mother-Father, which is like a musical harmony that “manifests all things, and generates all things.” [Hippolytus, VIII, V, online]

"Gnostics passed on secret, unwritten teachings about how to reach heightened states of consciousness. Traces remain in the Nag Hammadi scrolls, which recommend austerities, chanting, and meditation in silence. The sage Zostrianos went into the desert seeking visions of the eternal Light. He counseled seekers to overcome physical desires and still the “chaos in mind” through meditation. In Allogenes , the glorious Youel speaks of a Triple Power which exists in silence, but emits a beelike sound: “zza zza zza...” Stilling the self is the secret to realizing this state. This recalls Hindu references to the the humming sound of the universe, likened to the seed mantra Om, and to the black bee goddess Bhramari or the bees that surround Lalitambika, the Mother whose play gives rise to everything.

"The Discourse on the Eighth and Ninth (Heavens} also advocates seeking in silence. The teacher tells his disciple, “Language is not able to reveal this. For the entire Eighth, my son, and the souls that are in it, and the angels, sing a hymn in silence.” [Braschler et al, online]

"Some Gnostics conceived of the eternal mystic Silence as the Mother. They said that Sige (Silence) was god’s female partner, as bishop Irenaeus related. The scripture Eugnostos the Blessed names her as “Sophia, Mother of the Universe, whom some call Love.” [Parrot, online] Here, and throughout Gnostic scriptures, there are strong echoes of Hebrew traditions of Khokhmah, “Wisdom.” The Gnostic Valentinus paired the Primal Father—the Word—with “Mother of the All,” who was Grace, Silence, Womb. His disciple Marcus said that communion wine was her blood, rather than that of Yeshua [Pagels 1979: 52-3, 55]

"Egypt, whose ancient religion deeply influenced Gnostic philosophy, still revered its goddesses—especially, in late antiquity, Isis. Aretalogies of Isis (praise-songs based on her affirmation “I am”) made their way into several Gnostic scriptures. The Gospel of Thomas contains an invocation from ancient litanies of Isis: “Come, lady revealing hidden secrets...” [Holland-Smith, 68; Budge, find cite] In an aretalogy embedded in the Apocryphon of John, a goddess descends into “the inner part of Emente”—Amentet, the old Kemetic name for the underworld. [Arthur, 167] (This descent to the underworld also carries echoes of Inanna and Persephone, and even the divestments of Venus in her planetary motion.)

"Great Isis had become syncretized in Egypt with Judaic traditions of Khokhmah, the female Wisdom that took part in the creation. Her name was translated into Greek as Sophia, along with other Hellenistic names. The writings of Philo (a Hellenized Egyptian Jew) and Plutarch identified Isis as Sophia (“Wisdom”). The early, pre-Christian Gnostic scripture Eugnostos the Blessed hails “the all-wise Sophia, Genetrix.” The Origin of the World praises her as the being “who created great luminaries and all of the stars and placed them in the heaven so that they should shine upon the earth”. [Arthur, 65] This verse clearly echoes the Isis aretalogy of Kyme: “I divided earth from heaven, I created the ways of the stars...” [Long, 84]

"The first words in the Bible are B’reshíit: “In the beginning…” The Hebrew word Reshíit represents Wisdom in the Palestinian Targum and the Samaritan Liturgy. Several Greek texts draw on these traditions, addressing the goddess as Arkhē (“Beginning”). [Arthur, 61] Other scriptures name the Divine Female as Ennoia (Thought), Pronoia (Forethought) or Protennoia (Primal Thought), Pistis (Faith), Eidea (Image, Ideal), or Kharis (Grace). [Long, 87ff; Arthur, 55; Legge, ###ix] These Greek titles were often used interchangeably with Sophia.

"The Discourse on the Eighth and Ninth emphasizes the primacy of Arkhē (Origin): “I have found the Archē of the power which is over every power, she who is without Archē. I see a spring which is bubbling over with life.” [in Arthur, 172] (This recalls Neith, the Great Mother of the Gods, who was “self-born, self-produced, never having been created.”)"

More excerpts in Comments. Shown: terracottass of Isis Bubastis, or Isis Ermouthis / Thermouthis from the Ptolemaic or early Roman era. Snake iconography is salient in Gnostic stories about the female Divine.

https://oldwitch.substack.com/p/sophia-isis-and-the-gnostic-goddess

03/02/2026

The small donation from part of the profit from my course "The Spirit of Plants" (https://payhip.com/b/zJQ1H) for the year 2025 has been donated to Plant Heritage.

I would like to remind you that when you purchase my course, you can also let me know which trust or organisation you would like the donation to go to. So please, feel free to share your suggestions with me.

✨️Blessed Be the Sacred Plants✨️

----

La piccola donazione proveniente da una parte dei profitti del mio corso "Lo Spirito delle Piante" (https://payhip.com/b/NKEvW) per l’anno 2025 è stata devoluta a Plant Heritage.

Desidero ricordarvi che, quando acquistate il mio corso, potete anche indicarmi a quale ente, associazione o organizzazione desiderate che venga destinata la donazione. Dunque sentitevi libere/i di condividere con me i vostri suggerimenti.

✨️ Benedette siano le Piante Sacre ✨️

23/01/2026

The Lucifera Dianic Path is a branch of the Dianic Tradition founded by Templum Dianae presiding priestess Cristina Pandolfo (Astrum Lucifera). The path is centered on honoring the Goddess in Her a…

20/12/2025

Mōdraniht
From mōdra (mothers) + niht (night).

It is an Anglo-Saxon pagan festival of ancestral veneration, particularly of the maternal line. Some sources report it as being celebrated on the night of December 20th, while others place it on December 24th.

During this festival, the Ancestral Mothers and the female deities and spirits associated with fertility, wisdom, and protection were honored and celebrated.

Its placement near the winter solstice emphasizes themes of rebirth, renewal, and household protection.

Mōdraniht illustrates a reverence for maternal and female divine forces: a pre-Christian night honoring mothers and female spirits, which influenced—before being largely erased—traditions surrounding the Winter Solstice and Christmas.

What if this year we celebrated Christmas Eve by honoring our Divine Ancestresses and the important women in our lives?





Image by Cristina Pandolfo

Photo by Gary Scott via Unsplash

20/12/2025

Modraniht (Mother's night): Celebrating our Divine Ancestress!

Castellano Català If we fragment our culture (Judeo-Christian based) a little and we analyse some of its pieces some quite interesting facts arise that show the amalgam of influences from ancient c…

19/12/2025

Per decine di millenni il sacro, il potere e l’organizzazione sociale hanno avuto un volto femminile. Dalle Veneri preistoriche alle società matriarcali di oggi, una storia rimossa racconta un’umanità più egualitaria, pacifica e centrata sulla cura ➡️ https://bit.ly/civilta_donne

03/12/2025

Do you wish to join a societas of extraordinary women?

The Ladies from Outside (Donne di Fora) are mysterious figures in the Italian magical folklore. These female spirits were often seen as fairies, witches, or powerful women possessing supernatural abilities.

Inspired by these enchanting and magical beings, the purpose of our female spiritual society is to offer occult and spiritual teachings and share knowledge to support women's empowerment, self-sovereignty, and healing.

DISCOVER MORE ☞ The Ladies from Outside • Societas Feminina Spiritualis https://payhip.com/b/uZXoe



Image by Cristina Pandolfo

Background photo by Max Ovcharenko

20/11/2025

Why I do not use the word "God".

It would be more natural and logical to refer to the Divine or the Absolute as Goddess, since the creative and life-nourishing/supporting principle - and the primeval s*x - is female. There are also cases of parthenogenesis in nature, which occur in the female s*x.

So I believe it is a stretch to use a male-gendered word to indicate a universal creative/generative principle, unless the intention is actually to describe the Divine in masculine terms, or to imply that it is male. This may not be a conscious intention, but it is definitely rooted in that association and narrative, whether or not the person using the term is aware of it.






Image by Cristina Pandolfo

Background photo by Jean Dean

30/10/2025

It isn’t what happens to us that defines who we are, but how we decide to respond.

Between stimulus and (re)action, there is a space — a choice — and in that space, we assert our sovereignty.

Let your choices be led by alignment and sacred authority.

Let your choices be a beacon of enlightenment, and the legacy of your Spirit.



Image by Cristina Pandolfo