Andraste: The voice of courage, the guiding hare.

Andraste; Star Queen Goddess of the hare, of transformation, of courage. She is the Star Queen that we welcome this month. January can be seen as a time of new beginnings and new ideas, it is a time when the land is still sleeping and energy is low, but this makes it a perfect time to sink into the deeply inspired place where Andraste dwells, to let Her scared hare guide you through the dreamtime with speed and star bright clarity.

Andraste is the courage of knowing oneself and one’s dreams, She is the challenges we must all face and She is the ability to rise and face those challenges with integrity.

For centuries the hare has been held as sacred in many different cultures and among many different peoples because the hare is a guide, a song of divination. If we know how to look it can show us the problems that are to come. As when the Celtic peoples believed that to see a hare was to receive a warning for coming strong weather. In showing us the potential challenges Andraste, with the hare by Her side, give us the tools for dealing with the challenges. Know that a storm is coming and precautions can be taken and it can be received as the blessing of rain to make plants grow, not a destructive force.

So, this month we look to welcome the Star Queen Andraste and the gifts that She brings: The unabashed courage of voicing your truth, of listening to yourself and speaking with integrity, kindness and strength, the ability to hold your boundaries with grace, and the skill to follow your passion whilst learning and growing with the challenges that come. Those are the star gifts of Andraste and Her hare.

Andraste has been celebrated by Celtic peoples as a Queen Goddess of victory and justice. She speaks with courage and acts with integrity and rises victorious and unafraid. She shows how to face the challenges that come from following Her dreams and She teaches how to triumph even if it is not always in the expected ways. In ancient times Andraste was revered by those Celtic people who faced forces that were so much greater than themselves, as with Boudica fighting against the Roman empire, but that does not mean that Her courage and victoriousness are warlike. In Her strength Andraste holds firm, but kind boundaries and speaks with bravery and inclusivity.

During these times when people all around the globe are facing forces that are much more powerful than they seem to be we must recall these qualities of Andraste. We must look to the stars and to the tribal star queen Goddesses and we must embody the qualities that we wish to see in the world. We must live Andraste’s courage, we must speak with Her voice and celebrate with Her victoriousness. The stars are not afraid to shine, nor is Andraste afraid to voice Her courage, and we must not be either. These are qualities of the Star Queen architype and lessons that Goddess loving and Goddess curious people can learn from.