The Charge of the Goddess by D. Valiente

The Charge of the Goddess

By: D. Valiente

"Whenever ye have need of any thing, 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 She, who is 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 She 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 Her praise. For Hers is the ecstasy of the spirit, and Hers also is joy on earth; for Her law is love unto all beings. Keep pure your highest ideal; strive ever towards it; let naught stop you or turn you aside. For Hers is the secret door which opens upon the land of youth and Hers is the cup of wine of life, and the cauldron of Cerridwen, which is the Holy Grail of immortality. She is the gracious goddess, who gives the gift of joy unto the heart of man. Upon earth, She gave the knowledge of the spirit eternal; and beyond death, She gives peace and freedom, and reunion with those who have gone before. Nor does She demand sacrifice, for behold, She is the mother of all living, and Her love is poured out upon the earth.

She who is 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, calls unto thy soul. Arise, and come unto Her. For She is the soul of nature, who gives life to the universe. from Her all things proceed, and unto Her all things must return; and before Her face, beloved of gods and men, let thine innermost divine self be enfolded in the rapture of the infinite. Let Her worship be within the heart that rejoiceth; for behold, all acts of love and pleasure are Her 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 Her, 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, then thou wilt never find it without thee. For behold, She has been with thee from the beginning; and She is that which is attained at the end of desire."

T.LH: The Charge of the Goddess is a sacred text of the Wiccan religion and is a central part to many of our sacred points as a Mystery Tradition. Perhaps the most quoted of the Wiccan Texts the Charge of the Goddess contains some famous ideas in the Wiccan Religion including acts of love and pleasure as a form of worship for the Goddess, for all acts of love are Hers. Also there is a warning that those who seek the Goddess (and therefore the Occult mysteries) not within themselves then they will not find Her (or the power) with out. It is a warning against just being whats called an "armchair wiccan" or a Wiccan that claims the to the path but does not actually have experiance in its practices. Wicca is an experiential religion meaning that one has to participate in it's teachings in order to gain the understanding and insight that Wicca offers. The Charge of the Goddess has been rewritten many times and has many different authors, this I feel is the best edition because it covers all the points I find important to our Tradition and Religion as a whole.