Un-educated -- forget about spells and such mumbo-jumbo. What youre talking about is paganism. Of course there are all kinds of different new-age approaches, but basically it's a throwback to pre-christian (read: pagan) spiritual beliefs which honor the forces of nature embodied in the female deity (the goddess).

Makes a lot more sense to me than any of the patriarchal control systems that have been foisted on mankind as "religion".

A good book for understanding these things is Mara Freeman's "Kindling the Celtic Spirit" (HarperCollins, 2001)

Cheers,
Michael