This is a story of the creation of earth that I found in a book called The Ultimate Book of Shadows for the New Generation Solitary Witch by Silver Raven Wolf. This is not the only one, there are many other versions of the creation.

Long, long ago, there was only darkness-a deep ocean of empty infinity-the void that was noplace. From this place of nothingness Spirit drew in upon itself and, with a mighty burst of joyful vibration, our Lady of Light exploded into being, Her essence the totality of perfect love and perfect trust. In Her heart She held the presence of Spirit, and there was no part of Her that was not of the Devine.

In delight, our Lady began the Great Work. She danced among the heavens, Her bare feet beating out the rhythm of all creation, giving birth to every pattern of energy as sparks of light catapulted from Her flying hair and extended fingertips. She created the stars and the planets, and bid them to dance with Her. As they began to move, so the cycle of the year was born, and the divine symphony of the universe came into form. She gave them names of power, each unto their own. These things moved from the void, into the thought, given the breath of life, and then into the world.

Our lady chanted the words of perfect love and perfect peace and, as these sounds fell to the Earth, the trees, flowers, and grasses took root in the fertile soil Gaia. From the pure, white light of Her breath came the colors of the universe, turning all things to vibrant beauty. From the bubbling laughter in Her throat sprang the sounds of the clear, running water of the streams, the gentle lapping of the lakes, and the roaring of the oceans. Her tears of happiness became the rains of our survival. Our Lady was the Presence and the Presence our Lady.

And when Her dancing slowed, the Lady sought a companion to share the wonders of the many worlds. As the Holy Spirit, she created the God as Her soulmate. Because our Lady so loved the Earth, the energy pattern of the God contained the essence of the Presence and the Divine energy of the Earth-and He was known by many names: Green Man; Lord of the Forests; King of the Fields; and Father, Son, and Sage.

Together, the Lord and Lady created all th beings of Earth. The Lord's power moved through Her, and She showered the Earth and all upon it with blessings. Together, They designed the birds, animals, fishes, insects, reptiles, and people of our world. To protect and guide the humans, the Lord and Lady fashioned the angels, guides, and spirits of power. These energies still walk with us, although we often cannot see them.

To each being our Lady gave a unique vibration in which to communicate, and the Lord bestowed to each the fire of passion and the burning instinct to survive. As a gift for His magnificent handiwork and caring for the creatures of Earth, our Lady gave our Lord a crown of stag antler, which He wears upon His head. This aspect of half man, half animal would forever show His joy in both the human and animal creations of the Presence. The crown will always be a symbol that people can spiritually work with the duality of their own natures to reach into the core of the Spirit.

Together, the Lord and Lady blessed the first humans with free will. "We are of the gods, and the gods are us!" the people cried. And the Lord and Lady smiled. "We are all one," said our Lady, and through a web of silver light She connected each human to the other, and then linked the humans to all other energy patterns on the planet. When this was done, She wove Herself and Her Lord into the divine tapestry of pulsating energy. "Love is the law, honor in the bond," said the Lord as He empowered the tapestry of life.

Our Lady has many names: Isis, Astarte, Bride, Diana, Aradia, Innana, Hecate, Mitzu, Gami, and thousands more. The Lady walks within and beside each woman and man of every race in every place. She is the Maiden, Mother, and Crone, She is the sacred trinity of all religions. Indeed, She is the Holy Ghost.

The Lord has many faces, from the strong Cernunnos to the delightful Pan, and Osiris, Try, Anubis, Ra, Apollo, Odin, and thousands more. He guards and guides us and resides in each man and woman of every race in every place. When thunder roars in the heavens and lightening cracks from the ground, the Lord and Lady dance the divine myth of creation so that we may remember Them and know that we are never alone, and that we all are one. When the sun rises each morning, we bask in the joy of His love for us, and when the moon moves through Her phases, we understand the cycle of birth, growth, death, and rebirth, as is the nature of all things, and we honor Her power.

But as the humans began to grow and prosper, they forgot about their divine parents. Although the Lord and the Lady called to Their children, they did not listen. They were lost, fighting the demons they themselves had created. Not wishing to abandon Their children, the Lord and Lady decided to create healers and workers of harmony among the humans to remind them of the divine source and to show them the way home to the arms of the Mother. Within each special soul would be the remembrance of the Great Work: to love, create, and move in harmony. And so the Lord and the Lady drew forth energy from the realm of angels, the realm of power animals, the realm of the dead, and the realm of humans, instilling these special souls with the divine energy of the Presence through miracles of magic. These beings of power were called Witches.

Together, the Lord and Lady gave the humans the Witch's Pyramid: To Know, To Will, To Dare, To Be Silent, because They knew that not all humans on Earth would welcome these special beings of magic and love. The instructions complete, the Witches were sent to every culture and every tribe on the planet Earth, being born of the people but carrying the mission of the divine. In this way they have been known by many names and many races, yet, in soul, Witches they remain. Above all, they were given the message that the Goddess lives.

Even with the Great Work of the magical people, perfect love and perfect trust did not come easily. Many religions rose among the people to honor the Mother and Father, but each, in turn, cast out our Mother, thinking that worshiping the God alone would bring them the riches and strength they needed. In His disappointment of their actions, the Lord abandoned each religion, allowing them to crumble and die in the dust of the earth. Rather than create beauty and joy, the humans sought to destroy one another, to spread the sickness of greed and despair among their own. They forgot that the power within is greater than the power over one another.

The people would not listen to the Witches. Instead, the burned them.

Thus, over times of great trial and suffering, the Witches became the hidden children, conduction their rites in secret lest they risk capture and death at the hands of the fearful humans and their terrible dogma. As the world grew dark with ignorance and hate created by the humans, and evil arose like black steam from the cauldron of their minds, covering the planet with negative energy, the Lady whispered to the Witches that they should draw power from Her body of the moon, and the Lord enchanted the vibrant rays of the sun to instill them with strength. "The moon and the sun," They said, "are beacons of the Great Work. As long as they shine, you may draw form them whatever energy you may need, and when you look to those symbols in the heavens you will know that We are within you. There is no part of you that is not of the gods."

And so it was that once a month, when the moon grew full, the Witches celebrated in secret and remembered the blessing our Mother bestowed upon them, and worked magic to fulfill their divine mission of the Great Work. In these rites, the Witches called forth the essence of the Lord and Lady to help them take care of themselves, their families, the planet, and their, friends. Four times a year, as the cross-quarters (Samhain, Candlemas, Beltane, and Lammas) blossomed with bonfires across the land, the Witches celebrated the festivals of fire in honor of out Lord and His love and protection for all the children of the Earth as well as the birth of our Mother from the Void and the divine dance that brought all humans into creation. At the four quarters of the seasons(Yule, Ostara, summer solstice, and Mabon), the Witches honored the solar cycle of life and the gifts of the Earth through celebrations of thanksgiving. For 8,000 years we have done the, for our essence is in every Samhain, every magi, every priest, and every priestess who carries the hidden truth of perfect love and perfect trust within their souls. We are the Craft of the Wise.

When it is our time to leave the Earth plane, our Lady sends a guide to escort us to the Summerland. From the Presence that moves and flows through the Lord and Lady, we continue to learn the mysticism of the universe so that we may return, life after life, to serve our brothers and sisters-to remind them that they are only visiting here, and that each action, not each piece of gold garnered, is the way, the truth, and the light. In each lifetime Spirit guides us through learning experiences, preparing us along the way for our individual missions. Sometimes we are born among our own kind, but often than not, we are born among the unbelievers-we are born to show them the way home. It is by our actions, not our preaching, that the journey is made.

We are the Witches, the representatives of wisdom's growth on our planet. Because the religions of the world have failed to recognize the Great Work and to see our Mother in all things, the Lord and Lady gave us our own religion. This is our greatest test.

We are the hidden children. We are the people, the power, and the change-and we have incarnated in every race and in every culture, and will continue to do so until the end of time. We are the weavers, and we are the web. We cannot be stopped, because we are the Presence and the Presence is us. We are the divine angels of Earth. We are the heavens and the stars. We are the earth, the air, the fire and the water.

We are the Spirit. We are one. And...

We have come to guide you home.

For we are the Witches, back from the dead. So mote it be.

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