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Charge of the GODDESS
Summoning Spirit
"Whenever you have need of anything, once in a month, and better it be when the Moon is full, then shall ye assemble in some secret place and adore the spirit of She, 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 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; 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 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 sacrifice; for behold: 

I am the Mother of all living things, and my love is poured out upon the earth. I who am 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 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 seekest to seek for me, know thy seeking and yearning shall avail thee not unless thou knowest the mystery; and 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 GODDESS
THE CHARGE  Ritual is usually performed after Drawing Down the Moon.  Using the Covens preferred dieties
The High Priest starts of by saying:

          "Listen to the words of the Great Mother;
        she who of old was also called among man Artemis,
        Astarte, Athene, Dione, Melusine, Aphrodite,
        Cerriwen, Dana, Arianhod, Isis and by
        many other names."

The High Priestess, entranced, then says the Charge; as the Goddess:

The Charge Ritual
(Wiccan)
("Old" longer version)

Listen to the words of the Great Mother, who of old was called Astarte, Artemis, Dione, Melusine, Aphrodite,Ceridwen, Diana,  Arionrhod, 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, you shall assemble in some secret place and
adore the spirit of Me who is Queen of all the Wise. You shall be free
and as a sign that you be free, you shall be naked in your rites.
Sing, feast, dance make music and love, all in My presence, for Mine
is the ecstacy of the spirit and Mine also is joy on earth. For My Law
is love unto all beings. Mine is the secret that opens upon the door
of youth, and mine is the cup of wine of life that is the Cauldron of
Cerridwen, that is the holy grail of immortality. I give the knowledge
of the spirit eternal and beyond death I give peace and freedom and
reunion with those that have gone before. Nor do I demand aught of
sacrifice, for behold, I an the Mother of all things, 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, She whose body encircles the Universe:

" I who am the beauty of the green earth and the white moon among
the stars and the mysteries of the waters, I call upon our soul to
arise and come unto me. For I am the soul of nature that gives life to
the Universe. From Me all things proceed and unto Me they must return.
Let My worship be in the heart that rejoices, for behold -  all acts
of love and pleasure are My Rituals. Let there be beauty and strength,
power and compassion, honor and humility, mirth and reverence with in
you. And you who seek to know Me, know that your seeking and yearning
will avail you not, unless you know the Mystery: for if that which you
seek, you find not within yourself, you will never find it without.
For behold, I have been with you from the beginning, and I am that
which is attained at the end of all desire."

Alone, awesome, complete in Herself, the Goddess, She whose name
cannot be spoken, floated in the outer darkness, before the beginning
of all things. As She looked into the curved mirror of black space,
She saw by Her own light Her radiant reflection, and fell in love with
It. She drew It forth by the power that was in Her and made love to
Herself, and called Her "Miria, the Wonderful."

Their ecstasy burst forth in the single song of all that is, was,
or ever shall be, and with the song came motion, waves that poured
outward and became all the spheres and circles of the worlds. The
Goddess became filled with love, swollen with love, and She gave birth
to a rain of bright spirits, that filled the worlds and became all beings.

But in that great movement, Miria was swept away, and as She
moved out from the Goddess,  She became more masculine. First She
became the Blue God, the gentle, laughing God of love. The She became
the Green one, vine-covered, rooted in the earth, the spirit of all
growing things. At last She became the Horned God, the Hunter whose
face is the ruddy sun, and yet dark as Death. But always desire draws
Him back toward the Goddess, so that He circles Her eternally, seeking
to return in love.

All began in love; all seeks to return in love. Love is the law,
the teacher of wisdom, and the great revealer of the mysteries.

In love, the Horned God, changing form and changing face, ever
seeks the Goddess. In this world, the searching and the seeking appear
in the Wheel of the Year. 

She is the Great Mother, Who gives birth to Him as the Divine Child Sun at the Winter Solstice.

In spring, He is the Sower and the  Seed who grows with the growing light, green as the new shoots. She is  the Initiatrix, Who teaches Him the Mysteries. He is the Young Bull;  She is the Nymph, seductress. In summer, when light is longest, They  meet in union, and the strength of Their passion sustains the world.

But the Gods' face darkens as the sun grows weaker, until at last,
when the grain is cut for harvest, He also sacrifices Himself to Self,
that all may be nourished. She is the Reaper, the grave of earth to
which all must return. Thoughout the long nights and darkening days,

He sleeps in Her Womb. In dreams, He is the Lord of Death, who rules
the Land of Youth beyond the Gates of Night and Day. His dark tomb
becomes the Womb of Rebirth, for at Midwinter She again gives birth to
Him. The cycle ends and begins again, and the Wheel of the Year turns
on and on.
Wiccan
"Old longer version
These Texts are Public Domain and not subject to any copyrite
Background courtesy of Firesilk
Copyrite Notice RiciaJo 2000 All rights reserved

This page was last updated on: 1/13/09