Charge of the Goddess


Listen to the words of the Great Mother; she who of old also called among men Artemis, Astarte, Athene, Dione, Melusine, Aphrodite, Cerridwen, Dana, Arianrhod, Isis, Bride and by many other names. Whenever ye have need of any thing, once in a month, and better it be when the moon is full, then ye shall assemble in some secret place, and adore the spirit of me, who am the Queen of all witches. There ye shall assemble, ye who are fain to learn all sorcery yet who have not won it’s deepest secrets, to these I will 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 the joy on earth; for my law is love unto all beings. Keep your highest ideal; strive ever towards it; let naught stop you or turn you aside. For mine is the secret door that opens upon the Lands of Youth, and mine is the cup of wine of life, and Cauldron of Cerridwen, which is the holy grail of immortality. I am the gracious Goddess, who gives the 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 sacrifice; for behold I am the Mother of all living, and my love is poured out upon the earth. Hear ye the word of the Star Goddess, she in the dust of whose feet are the hosts of heaven, 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 unto the universe. From me all things proceed, and unto me all things must return; and before my face, beloved Gods and of men, let thine 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, honor and humility, mirth and reverence within you. And thou who thinkest to seek me, know thy seeking and yearning shall avail the not unless thou knowest the mystery; that is that thou seekest thou finest not within thee, thou wilt never find it with out thee. For behold, I have been with thee from the beginning; and I am that which is attained in the end of desire. © 1950 Originally written by Gerald B. Gardner adapted later by Doreen Valiente It appears in just a few of the following books in various forms, I have personally seen it the following three. The Encyclopedia of Witches and Witchcraft Eight Sabbats for Witches Book of Shadows I have read that verse something like at least 50 times and I always find something new, a duplicity of meaning, something that reaches out and grabs me by the throat and says look at me every time… The Charge of the Goddess is read mostly in the ritual of Drawing Down the Moon. I have had a thought of adding a few thoughts to it myself a third verse, but I will leave it as it is, since I don’t believe I could make it any more beautiful even for my own uses. What I would like to say is this piece of prose, is one of the things that is a simplistic beauty to me, lets me see the world as if I was a child again with out any effort. Many things have beauty but this has in many times given me a breath of air… As I sit now listening to the tiny patter of drops outside my window, feeling the breeze sweep in, reviving the faint ever present scent of Patchouli that always seems to encompass my room even when another scent is burning, I let the negativity flow out with a breath, breath in the positive, repeating letting a rhythm develop to my breathing. Three beats of my heart inhale, three beats of my heart exhale…Opening my mind to the place I carry with me always. Body disappearing, deeper consciousness emerging… A presence sweeping through my mind like the whisper of a lover… A color sweeping in, lavender…pictures of a joyous beauty flashing before my inner eye…Letting the peace fill me, knowing she will only show me what I am ready to see tonight…Sensation, the feeling of rose petals under my fingers, hair sweeping against my bare back, a breath tickling across my neck. All a process, a process of clearing away the day to day and reminding me of all the times past of beauty, and pleasure… Pictures flashing with every slowed beat of my heart, then the picture, looking over what keeps me tied here. My treasure, my happiness, a whisper of a touch, and then it’s dismissed… Thanking her, taking the calm with me, and focusing again on the tiny taps outside my window, the feeling of my fingers, opening my eyes, breathing returning to normal, laying down on the carpet beneath my legs, and rolling that one image across my mind and smiling… Bright Blessings
© J.A. Rodgers 2002-2006 except that which is stated otherwise.
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