The Charge of the Goddess
by Doreen Valiente
Listen now to the words of the great Mother: she who of
old was also called among men Artemis, Astarte, Athene, Dione, Melusine,
Aphrodite, Cerridwen, Diana, Arianrhod, Isis, Brigid, and by many other
names:
Whenever you have need of anything, once in the month, and better it be
when the moon is full, then shall you assemble in some secret place and
adore the spirit of me, who am Queen of all Witches. There shall you
assemble, you who would learn all sorcery, yet have not won its deepest
secrets; to you will I teach things that are yet unknown. And you shall be
free from slavery; and as a sign that you be free, you shall be naked in
your rites. And you shall dance, sing, feast, make music and love, all in
my presence; for mine is the ecstasy of the spirit, and mine is also joy
on earth; for my law is love unto all beings. Keep pure your highest
ideal; strive ever towards it; let nothing 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 hearts of my people. 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 of
sacrifice; for behold, I am the Mother of all living, and my love is
poured out upon the Earth.
Hear the words of the Star Goddess; 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 hearts of men
and women, call unto your 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
people, let your innermost divine self be enfolded in the rapture of the
infinite. Let my worship be within the heart that rejoices; 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 you who think to seek for me, know that your
seeking and yearning shall avail you not, unless you know the mystery: if
that which you seek, you find not within yourself, then you shall never
find it without. For behold, I have been with thee from the beginning, and
I am that which is attained at the end of desire.
Free Spells |
