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sacredness from that ancient time grew the "powers" and "Gods" which were asked for help or favor. If a person knew how to interact with those powers, they were considered the wise ones. It was nature based interaction with the sun, moon, stars, and other forces such as lightening, thunder, and earth quakes. The wise ones also new "magic" by knowing what herbs and plants would heal and which would harm. The wisdom was called the craft of the wise (thus in the ages that would follow the term became simply Wicca).

To the people of this time, the underworld was as sacred as the birth from the womb. Neither was a negative, as both were a part of the cycle of life. The ancient people of this time believed the female cycle was a mysterious power. With the land and nature being the forefront of their cycles followed by the phases of the Moon. The men, depending on the Moon to give them cover during their stalking of prey. The connection of the Moon to the menstrual cycle remained and placed women high in society. As the female body was one that brought forth life and was mirrored to the harvest swelling and growing. As the sun causes the grain to grow, it was also at this time that the Sun took on an important role in the ceremonies. The Sun evolved into as great of a natural deity as the Moon. From this position of dominance the female developed into the matriarch. Thus the Goddess worship began. The Mother Goddess was known by different names in different regions. Artemis of the Greeks, Diana of the Romans, Moon Goddess of the Egyptians, and the Fertility Goddess of the Stone Age. Never though was a form thought of in human form. Rather it was always a divine spiritual form.

The belief in all things having a spirit and energy led to the people of the old religion to believe in reincarnation. As a seed of grain grew, was harvested (died) and replanted; it was thought that the human body did the same. In the cycle belief it was thought that in order for new life to begin, another life must be taken. This belief is seen in the burial tombs scattered across the landscape. Early forms were pantheistic in that all of nature was an expression of a deity. As in all human nature, the masses needed a focal point (or a named) to go with their needs. This cycle, eventually, evolved into the belief that the Goddess is depicted as we know it today. A three stage deity. The young maiden, the mother, and the old crone. The crone keeping the wisdom to pass onto a new maiden would

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