Charge of the Goddess
by: Doreen Valiente
Listen to the words of the Great Mother;
she who of old was also called among men
Artemis, Astarte, Athene, Dione, Melusine,
Aphrodite, Cerridwen, Cybele, Arianrhod,
Isis, Dana, Bride
and by many other names:
Whenever ye have need of anything, once in the month,
and better it be when the moon is full,
then shall ye assemble in some secret place
and adore the spirit of me,
who am Queen of all the witches.
There shall ye assemble,
ye who are fain to learn all sorcery,
yet have not won its deepest secrets;
to these will I teach things that are yet unknown.
And ye shall be free from slavery;
and as a sign that ye be really free,
ye shall be naked in your rites;
and ye shall dance, sing, feast, make music and love,
all in my praise.
For mine is the ecstasy of the spirit,
and mine also is joy on earth;
for my law is love unto all beings.
Keep pure your highest ideal; strive ever towards it;
let naught stop you or turn you aside.
For mine is the secret door which opens upon the Land of Youth,
and mine is the cup of the wine of life,
and the Cauldron of Cerridwen,
which is the Holy Grail of immortality.
I am the Gracious Goddess,
who gives the gift of joy unto the heart of man.
Upon earth, I give the knowledge of the spirit eternal;
and beyond death, I give peace and freedom
and reunion with those who have gone before.
Nor do I demand aught in sacrifice;
for behold,
I am the Mother of all living,
and my love is poured out upon the earth.
Hear ye the words of the Star Goddess;
she in the dust of whose feet
are the hosts of heaven,
and whose body encircles the Universe.
I who am the beauty of the green earth,
and the white Moon among the stars,
and the mystery of the waters,
and the desire of the heart of man,
call unto thy soul.
Arise, and come unto me.
For I am the soul of nature, who gives life to the universe.
From me all things proceed,
and unto me all things must return;
and before my face, beloved of Gods and of men,
let thine innermost divine self be enfolded in the rapture of the infinite.
Let my worship be within the heart that rejoiceth;
for behold,
all acts of love and pleasure are my rituals.
And therefore let there be beauty and strength,
power and compassion, honour and humility,
mirth and reverence within you.
And thou who thinkest to seek for me,
know thy seeking and yearning shall avail thee not
unless thou knowest the mystery;
that if that which thou seekest thee findest not within thee,
thou wilt never find it without thee.
For behold,
I have been with thee from the beginning;
and I am that which is attained
at the end of desire.
Charge of the God
And these are the words of Cernunnos, Herne, Atho, Beli, the
voice of the Horned One, He whose names are un-numbered:
I am the wild hunter of the forest deep
And I am the fire upon the hill
And I am the sower of the seed
And the tiller of the soil of the earth.
And I am the golden warrior
Whose arrows are the shafts from the sun
The thunder is my hoof fall
The wilderness my shrine.
I wield the oaken staff
The elements at my call
By day am the sun
by night I ride upon the wild winds.
I am a stag, a tree and mountain
My seed within the earth's dark womb
For I am the Horned One;
Sire of the Universe
Love and Consort of the Goddess am I
In the wilderness doth my spirit dwell
And all wildlings
And fugitives of oppression
Are cherished within my heart.
To such as thee, my hidden children
Am I provider and protector
For all things wild and free
are in my keeping
And all things of beauty and freedom and life
Are joy unto my spirit;
Swiftly I come to merriment and laughter
for these are my invocations
For I am the Lord of all life
Yet also I have a dark face
For I am Death. The Reaper of Souls.
And terrible is this my dark face
To those who know not the mystery.
Yet to my hidden children
Who know and love my spirit
My dark face is also sweet
For tis the face of deep and hidden wisdom.
For I am the giver of knowledge
Life and death are mine to give
From death thou shalt be reborn
Unto new life and love.
Therefor seek my spirit and know me
Bright and dark
Then shalt thou know my mystery
For I am the Ancient One:
My faces outnumber the stars
I am the Horned One of un-numbered names
I am the gentle and the fierce.
I am Cernunnos, Herne, Atho, Belie,
Haro, the Ancient One
Lord and Sire of the Universe All
|
