Charge of the Goddess

Listen to the words of the Great Mother, who was of old called amongst men: Isis, Artemis, Inari, Astarte, Bast, Hecate, Demeter, and by many other names.

Whenever you have need of anything, once in the month and better it be when the moon is full or new, then shall ye assemble in some secret place and adore the spirit of Me, Queen of all Witches. To these I shall teach that which is yet unknown. Ye shall be free from all slavery, you shall sing, feast, make music and love all in my name for Mine is the ecstasy of the spirit, and mine is also joy upon earth. 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, the cauldron of Cerridwen, which is the Holy Grail of Immortality. I am the Gracious Goddess who gives the gift of Youth unto the heart of mankind. I give knowledge of the SpiritEternal 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 things and 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 am the beauty of the Green Earth, the White Moon, the Blue Sea, and the Black Night. I call unto thy soul, Arise and come unto me, for I am the Soul of Nature who gives all life to the universe, from me all things proceed and unto me all things return.

Beloved of all gods and men let my worship be in the heart. Rejoice, for behold all acts of love and pleasure are my rituals. Therefore, let there be beauty and strength - power and compassion - honor and humility - mirth and reverence within you. And you who think to seek me know that your seeking and yearning will not avail you unless you know the Mystery, that if that which you seek you cannot find within yourself, then you will never find it without. For behold, I have been with you since the beginning and I am that which is attained at the end.

I seek the Crown of Wisdom and Understanding, that might and mercy in balance brings beauty, victory and glory find their foundations in My kingdom.

Phaedra's Notes:

This is one of the many, many versions that you will find as the Charge of the Goddess. I like to look at the idea as there are as many Charges as there are Goddesses, or perhaps a Charge for each worshipper. Anyway, this Charge is a combonation of two different ones with minor tweaking from yours truly.

I like to use the Charge of the Goddess whenever performing anything that has a major impact for me: handfastings, funerary rites, life passages, etc. Also for Drawing Down the Moon, and it's always nice to use during big group rituals to invoke the Goddess and get the 'group mind' focused.

Part of why I chose this version of the charge is the final line: I seek the Crown of Wisdom and Understanding, that might and mercy in balance brings beauty, victory and glory find their foundations in My kingdom. This refers to the Kabbalistic Tree of Life and its Sephira, something I didn't know when I initially chose it. But it struck a chord in me and I adopted it into my practices. Years later, when I finally realized what the line meant I was rather pleased the I had instictively chosen something that would have such far reaching repercussions in my Path.

I tend to use this more traditional version when I'm with groups of pagans or witches, mainly because it is something that should resonate with all of us. When I'm alone I use the version of the Charge that I wrote. It means more to me and it also helps me to really feel connected to the Goddess as I see Her.