Charges of the Goddess Original Charge of the Goddess
Original Charge of the Goddess Now listen to the words of the Great Mother, Who was 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 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 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 as 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 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 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, 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 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 thou findest not within thee; Thou will 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 Dark Goddess (by Tiger Eye) Wisdom and empowerment are the gifts of the Dark Goddess of Transformation. She is known to us as Kali, Hecate, Cerridwen, Lilith, Persephone, Fata, Morgana, Ereshkigal, Arianhrod, Durga, Inanna, Tiamat, and by a million, million other names. Hear me child, and know Me for who I am. I have been with you since you were born, and I will stay with you until you return to Me at the final dusk. I am the passionate and seductive lover who inspires the poet to dream. I am the One who calls to you at the end of your journey. After the day is done, My children find their blessed rest in my embrace. I am the womb from which all things are born. I am the shadowy, still tomb; all things must come to Me and bare their breasts to die and be reborn to the Whole. I am the Sorceress that will not be ruled, the Weaver of Time, the Teacher of Mysteries. I snip the threads that bring my children home to me. I slit the throats of the cruel and drink the blood of the heartless. Swallow your fear and come to me, and you will discover true beauty, strength, and courage. I am the fury which rips the flesh from injustice. I am the glowing forge that transforms your inner demons into tools of power. Open yourself to my embrace and overcome. I am the glinting sword that protects you from harm. I am the crucible in which all the aspects of yourself merge together in a rainbow of union. I am the velvet depths of the night sky, the swirling mists of midnight, shrouded in mystery. I am the chrysalis in which you will face that which terrifies you and from which you will blossom forth, vibrant and renewed. Seek me at the crossroads, and you shall be transformed, for once you look upon my face, there is no return. I am the fire that kisses the shackles away. I am the cauldron in which all opposites grow to know each other in Truth. I am the web which connects all things. I am the Healer of all wounds, the Warrior who rights all wrongs in their Time. I make the weak strong. I make the arrogant humble. I raise up the oppressed and empower the disenfranchised. I am Justice tempered with Mercy. Most importantly, child, I am you. I am part of you, and I am within you. Seek me within and without, and you will be strong. Know me. Venture into the dark so that you may awaken to Balance, Illumination, and Wholeness. Take my Love with you everywhere and find the Power within to be who you wish. Charge of the Dark Goddess by: Shayla The Dark Goddess speaks to us, through the mouths of Lilith, Kali, Tiamet, Hekate, Nix, the Black Madonna, Nemesis and Morgaine. I am the Darkness behind and beneath the shadows. I am the absence of air that awaits at the bottom of every breath. I am the Ending before Life begins again, the Decay that fertilizes the Living. I am the Bottomless Pit, the never-ending struggle to reclaim that which is denied. I am the Key that unlocks every Door. I am the Glory of Discovery, for I am that which is hidden, secluded and forbidden Come to me at the Dark Moon and see that which can not be seen, face the terror that is yours alone. Swim to me through the blackest oceans to the center of your greatest fears the Dark God and I will keep you safe. Scream to us in terror, and yours will be the Power to Forbear. Think of me when you feel pleasure, and I will intensify it, until the time when I may have the greatest pleasure of meeting you at the Crossroads Between the Worlds. Charge from the Dark Goddess (Author Unknown) I who am the Mother darksome and divine, Queen of the Underworld, Rider of the midnight sky, Keeper of the secrets of darkness, I call upon your soul to descend and come unto me. Come into my warm womb of darkness, where I will hold you tight as you grow and become filled with the very essence of life, and the knowledge of my love. For in my love I would torment your dreams, I'd send demons to drive you mad, if you hold not within yourself the strength and the courage to stand before me. To face me with all fetters gone and allow yourself to fall, into the dark abyss. The abyss that holds your deepest fears, that goes over the thinnest edge, down into the arms of possible insanity. For the abyss is but a mirror. Face the mirror, face me, and all the power of creation is yours, the keys to your wildest dreams, tickets to the stars and beyond! Anything you can imagine. It's all yours, if you'll but fall. I am the Goddess of the three faces standing at the crossroads seeing past, present and future, seeing lightness, darkness and balance All of this do I see, All of this do I hold for thee. Charge of the Crone by Gypsy and Hawk Shadow Hear the words of the Grandmother of Time: She who has been known as Hecate, Ereshkigal, Cerridwen, Kali-Ma, Anna, Perenna, Spider Woman, and many other names Some feared, and some loved, but none ever ignored. She it is who brings wisdom and the awareness of eternity. She has been the Maiden, and remembers that joy. She has been the Mother, and recalls that pleasure. But age has changed her, and taught her the mysteries Of the Wheel that is ever turning, The Wheel that is life, death, and rebirth. She is the whirling tornado, the erupting volcano, The rising tidal wave, the trembling of the earth's crust. With age comes an understanding of the past, And a glimpse of the future. For, in the turning of the Wheel, The past is the future, and the future is the past. She is the Learned One, the Teacher, the Bringer of Inevitable Change. She is the Dark of the Moon, the Hidden One, The invisible unknown that lies ahead. But do not fear her for she is not malicious, And her touch, however harsh, is love. Only in ignorance is she scorned and reviled. Those who do not know her, parody her as the ugly old woman Whose powers were said to blight crops and sour the milk in the cow. It is fear that turns her age into abomination, Hher wrinkles into hideous deformity, And her voice into an evil and manipulative cackle. For those who sought power over the earth were afraid To face her wisdom and her unalterable truth. But in the old days, We sat at her feet to learn the most ancient lore. From her came the knowledge of the healing herbs, And the chants and songs that shaped our lives. She sat in honor at our councils, our marketplaces, in our homes. She governed our governing, and interpreted our laws. She gave focus to our changing seasons. She was our teacher, our oracle, our promise of rebirth. © 2000, 2001 Mother (page layout only)
