‘Amarna’. I first heard this name from my youngest daughter when she was only 18 months old. We had gone for a family meal to a place that is ‘known for having a haunting past!’ When we left to go home, my daughter asked if she could bring her ‘invisible’ friend home with us. We all smiled and said ‘Of course, as long as she behaves!’.

This new friend of her’s was named Angel. She was a calming influence and you could hear my daughter and her ‘friend’ having many a conversation together.

Then one day my daughter said she had another friend (that was also invisible) and could she saty too?

I asked the friends name and the reply was ‘Amarna’.

I was quite surprised that my baby girl could think up a name like this as it was out of the norm! So after a while I decided to search on the internet for the name ‘Amarna’, just out of curiosity. I found it not online but on a television document about Egypt that was on later that day. It mentioned Amarna many times. I was surprised at myself for not knowing this, for when I was pregnant with my daughter I took up an interest in Egyptology and its wonderful Gods and Goddess’.

Amarna was mentioned quite a lot as I soon discovered,’The Amarna Period’, ‘The Amarna Desert’, ‘The Amarna Scrolls’ and much more.

These are some of the things that I found out; 

Ø      The Egyptian Amarna period, there is virtually no phrase in the history of our planets civilisations that has so many unanswered questions and attracts so many theories. It was when the Heretic Pharaoh Akhenaten turned away from the traditional Gods and embraced his one God, the Aten Sun Disk.

Ø      What we call Amarna (or El-Amarna) today was the city of the Heretic Pharaoh Akhenaten (the horizon of the Aten). He created this city for his revolutionary religion that worshipped Aten during the Amarna period.

Ø      The Amarna period in Egyptian history is a spectacular time filled with mystery. Because religion played such a significant role in all of Egypt’s history, the period becomes a grand anomaly worthy of such focus. Most of the research and excavations surrounding this period, focus on five areas. These areas include the main players during the period, who are certainly not limited to Akhenaten and Nefertit. The city founded by Akhenaten from which the period and the periods literature (specifically correspondence known as the Amarna Letters).

Ø      The Amarna Tablets are named after the site Tell El-Amarna (in middle Egypt where they were first discovered). The first Amarna Tablet was found by local inhabitants in 1887. With more excavations over the years the site has yielded less the 50 out of the 382 Tablets and fragments which form the Amarna corpus known to date.

The most unusual thing to me was that my 18 month old daughter came up with the word ‘Amarna’ from no where she knew! We had to search for the meaning before we knew what it meant and where it had come from.

Amarna was the opposite to her friend Angel. Amarna held a sword and would protect my daughter but would argue a lot too! It was interesting to listen to my little girl argue with what seemed like herself!

Two years passed and Angel and Amarna were still around.

We were unfortunate one weekend, coming back from a break in the country we were involved in a road traffic accident. My two daughters lay asleep in the back of the car with their seat belts on. We ended up swerving and hitting a lamp post.

None of our seat belts worked (which we later sued the company for!).

My Mother and Eldest daughter each broke their leg, I fractured a bone in my neck, broken elbow etc…. but my youngest daughter incurred just a small bruise on her eye. She had no seat belt to hold her back as it just came away from its holder with the force of the impact. Her reply to me was…’Amarna and Angel held me back’.

It confused the Paramedics that turned up at the scene too, they just said she was very lucky!

So both Angel and Amarna are welcome any time!

But now my daughter is a lot older she began to ‘lose’ her invisible friends (and my car keys stopped going missings too!).

So that’s how I came to name my small business, after one of the two friends my daughter had!

The products I sell do have an Egyptian influence to them as once did my daughter!

Amarna's Artists!

This is just a little bit about the Amarna's Artists. They are all family and friends of mine and have such a lot of talent and commitment.

About Jennifer...Amarna

 I have followed the Wiccan path since i was 14 years old. I used to live in Burnley, Lancashire for a few years. This is near the famous Pendle Hill and the even more Famous Pendle Witches. I took up learning about Wicca and other Pagan traditions at this time, but my heart was with Wicca. I did not find it, more like it found me!

Over the years I grew within myself and am learning more each and every day. I have even started to teach basic guidelines to several of my friends who are very interested. But like I say, it would take a life time to learn and you would still learn something new even then! Over 20 years of following my Path I am now a Priestess in Wicca and have started my own group, who are wonderful Ladies, full of life and ambition.

I have three wonderful children and just the one wonderful husband!! They have always supported me and are my heart and strength. I have Three sisters who are unique in their own individual ways...as is everyone. My Mom...Alexandra....is my inspiration as she says I am hers! We work as a team in most things we do.

I enjoy making different things, have to keep my hands busy all the time! The sets I have on auction are made with love and the feedback I have recieved have been well worth the preperation and hard work. I make many different items, from Altar cloths, Tarot Bags, Witches bottle sets and hand written spells and rituals. All are different as each is hand crafted and therefore unique. I love anything artistic and enjoy writing, painting and making various concoctions!  I always put my 'all' into each item I make, it does take a lot of energy and time, but my heart is in it and I think it always will be.

I also read the Tarot, although I have reached a point in my life where the cards may not be necessary as I can do a reading by just holding an item (jewellery, trinket) of the person I am reading at the time. I also believe strongly in my Dreams, these are like constant messages for me that guide me from day to day. I have had many Dreams where I have been able to tell a friend or family member of an event or message that they need to hear.

I also have many requests to make up Sets of various items from friends, family and even people online....who soon become friends also! I am happy to do this and am always willing to help where I can.

About Alexandra