The Charge of the
Goddess
Whenever you have need
of any thing, 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 Heaven.
There shall you
assemble, you who want to learn arcane secrets, yet have not won the deepest
ones; to these will I teach things as yet unknown.
You shall be free from
slavery, and as a sign that you are really free, you shall be naked in your
rites; and you 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 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
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 humankind. 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.
I do not demand
sacrifice; for behold, I am the Mother of all living, and My love is poured out
upon the Earth. I 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 humankind.
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 all peoples, let your innermost Divine
self be enfolded in the rapture of the infinite.
Let My celebration 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,
honour and humility, mirth and reverence within you.
You who think to seek
for Me, know your seeking and yearning shall avail you not unless you know the
mystery: that is... if that which you seek you find not within yourself, you
will never find it without yourself. For behold, I have been with you from the
beginning; and I am that which is attained at the end of desire.
Aradia de Toscano...
researched and recorded by Doreen Valiente, with revisions
The God Charge
Come ye all and hark
unto me, The Consort of the Lady, for I am your God. I was brought forth from
the Goddess, empowered by the beauty and strength of Her song.
I am her Son, Lover,
and King as I am also your Son, Lover and King. I am born at the Winter
Solstice, a promise of life renewed. As the Sun waxes, so does my strength, and
I become the Stag of the forest, roaming free and untamed, until in the Spring,
I join with Her, who is the Spirit of Nature Herself, and I am rapt in Her
beauty.
We join in a holy and
sacred love, which brings life to the fields. I continue as the Stag, until at
Summer Solstice, She who is Queen calls me to be her King, while I am at the
Height of my power. I accept, knowing the responsibility this entails. I am a
merciful King, who protects His creatures.
At the Harvest, I
willingly sacrifice myself, so that my creatures, who I love dearly are provided
for during the lean months ahead, when snow and cold blanket the Earth in sleep
and Death. I become the sailor of the last seas.
As such, I become the
Guardian of the Gate between worlds. I bring you to the Island Remembered where
I give rest, so that you may become young and be born again as I must also, at
Yule, to continue the Pattern.
I am the Lord of the
Dance, who dances in honour of the Singer of the Song; the Song which brought me
forth. I am the Sun, who shines brightly, bringing forth light and warmth of day
to the Earth, who is our Mother.
I am also the flame,
who brings light and warmth into the hearth of your homes, as well as the light
and warmth in your hearts. Mine is the lightning which dances across the dark
sky for Her favour.
Mine is the Seed which
empowers Life, and Mine is the comfort between lives, Mine is the lust in your
nature, Mine is the joy of the dance in your hearts, Mine is the inspiration in
your minds, which fuels progress. Mine is the strength and power of your being,
tempered with compassion and mercy.
I am your God, I was
always here, always patient... waiting for you to return home again to me. I do
not seek dominion over the Goddess who brought me forth, nor do I seek dominion
over you my children. I do not threaten with damnation, hell, flood or plague,
for I love my creatures far too much to do them such harm.
I am in you and around
you. Turn inward my children and experience your Divinity. The Goddess and
Myself joined together make up the Whole and Continuous One, Who is Infinity,
which is Divine. As such, We contain you, making you Divinity Incarnate.
Know this and never
forget this. You who are our creatures and children, are never dirty, but
Divine. Strive to see this in each other, for even if you were to forget and
forsake Me in this Life, remember the Law?
"LOVE UNTO ALL BEINGS,
LOVE IS THE LAW AND LOVE IS THE BOND".
Let My inspiration
spawn power with and not power over. Seek not to have dominion over your fellow
creatures who share this Time and Space with you. Defend the weak and the
oppressed from those who would do this, for the corruption of power over others
through fear is a cancer which has afflicted my children and makes me sad.
Mine is the joy of the
wild forests and of pleasures of hearth, home and each other. But these things
will be forfeit, if the destruction of the Mother continues. Reach into your
souls and call forth Llugh with His mighty Spear, and Cernunnos mighty and
ever-living defender of the Wild places.
Defend the Earth
Mother from the rape and destruction brought forth by your kind, for if the
Earth Mother should be killed, you my creatures, whom I love, will perish also.
Know this in your hearts. The Time is now.
Know that I am always
with you and in you, when ever you have need of me, look to the Sun, or go to
some wild place and call my name, and I will come. I am your father, your son,
your brother and your lover......You are mine and I am yours through eternity.
by Michael 29 August
1993
The Charge of the
Crone
I am the Queen of
Magick and the dark of the Moon,
hidden in the deepest
night.
I am the mystery of
the Otherworlds
and the fear that
coils about your heart in the times of your trials.
I am the soul of
nature that gives form to the universe;
it is I who awaits you
at the end of the spiral dance.
Most ancient among
gods and mortals,
let my worship be
within the heart that has truly tasted life,
for behold all acts of
magick and art are my pleasure
and my greatest ritual
is love itself.
Therefore let there be
beauty in your strength,
compassion in your
wrath, power in your humility,
and discipline
balanced through mirth and reverence.
You who seek to remove
my veil and behold my true face,
know that all your
questing and efforts are for nothing,
and all your lust and
desires shall avail you not at all.
For unless you know my
mystery,
look wherever you
will, it will elude you,
for it is within you
and nowhere else.
Behold, I have ever
been with you, from the very beginning,
the comforting hand
that nurtured you in the dawn of life,
and the loving embrace
that awaits you at the end of each life,
for I am that which is
attained at the end of the dance.
I am the womb of new
beginnings,
as yet unimagined and
unknown.
written by Jim Garrison