The Charge of the Goddess

Listen to the words of the Great Mother, who of old was called Artemis, Astarte, Athene, Dione, Melusine, Aphrodite, Cerridwen, Diana, Arianrhod, Isis, Brighde, Freyja, Frigg, 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 fane 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 the joy of the earth, for my law is love unto all beings."

"Keep pure your highest ideal; strive ever toward it, let naught stop you or turn you aside; for mine is the secret door which opens upon the door of youth, and 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 gift of 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 is the dust of whose feet are the hosts of heaven, whose body encircles the universe. I am the beauty of the green earth, and the white moon among the stars, and the mystery of the water ,and the desire of the heart of man. Call into 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 raptures of the infinite. Let my worship be within the heart that rejoices; behold, all acts of love and pleasure are my rituals. And therefore let there be beauty and strength, power and compassion, honor and humility, mirth and reverence within thee."

"And thou who thinkest to seek from 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 wilt 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."

The Charge of the God

Listen to the word of the Great Father, who of old was called Osiris, Adonis, Zeus, Thor, Pan, Cernunnos, Heren, Lugh, and by many other names:

"My law is harmony with all things. Mine is the secret that opens the gates of life and mine is the dish of salt of the earth that is the body of Cernunnos that is the eternal circle of rebirth. I give the knowledege of life everlasting, and beyond death I give the promise of regeneration and renewal. I am the sacrifice, the father of all things, and my protection blankets the earth."

"Hear the words of the dancing God, the music of whose laughter stirs the winds, whose voice calls the season."

"I who am the Lord of the Hunt and the Power of Light, sun among the clouds and the secret of the flame, I call upon your bodies to arise and come unto me. For I am the flesh of the earth and all its beings. Through me all things must die and with me are reborn. Let my worship be in the body that sings, for behold, all acts of willing sacrifice are my rituals. Let there be desire and fear, anger and weakness, joy and peace, awe and longing within you. For these too are part of the mysteries found within yourself, within me, all beginnings have endings, and all endings have beginnings."

The Four Powers of the Magus (magician)

TO KNOW - noscere - air - to know what you are doing
TO DARE - audere - water - to dare to practice the Craft
TO WILL - velle - fire - to will the power
TO BE SILENT - tacere - earth - to keep silent about what you are doing

To Know - noscere - air - to know what you are doing. Witchcraft is rarely dangerous, but when you do not know what you are doing, what you do can turn out wrong. Know the difference between good and bad. Know what you are doing and what is your intent. Know who might get hurt. Think long and hard about your words and your actions before you fling them, unheeded, into the world.

To Dare - audere - water - to dare to practice the Craft. Never be afraid of what you are. If you are not afraid of your religion, you have a freedom within it. No one should ever try to make you afraid of your god(s) or goddess(es). Your power comes from you and you should not fear that which comes from your body because it is a part of you.

To Will - velle - fire - to will the power. Magick is all power that comes from the mind. This power comes from your strength in believing and willing something to happen. If you do not believe it will happen, then it will not. Your strength is your will and your willpower. Nothing is so strong as the human mind.

To Be Silent - tacere - earth - to keep silent about what you are doing. Magick is not something that is used to make you popular or to scare or impress others. Magick, like lovemaking, is a very personal, very private act and anything said about it makes it less sacred. It is the sacredness of the act that gives it its power. The more you talk about what you have done the less power it has. Do not discuss your spells with others until after you have cast it and gotten the effect. Also watch who you tell. Not all eyes and ears are as understanding as yours.

Lessons you will not find in books

By: Spitfyre

1) Within a Circle trust is an absolute necessity.

If you attend a ritual be SURE you trust those involved. Many feel this, in today's society to be archaic. It has always proved out when I have tried to work with unknown people, those I was unsure of or who were in some way unsure of me, failure, disaster or heated debate resulting in dissent has always been the end point. Know a person before you are willing to enter sacred space with them.

2) Never spellcast too soon.

Magic should not be a first resort. The use of non-magical means should be applied when possible and convenient. Overuse of magic, like anything else, becomes a crutch that can unbalance your life.

3) Prophecy is a two-edged sword.

Remember this, whether you read Tarot, I-Ching, Runes or whatever other means of divination or personal analysis, be prepared to have the reading to go in directions you do not expect and be prepared for them NOT to be in a way you will like. Remember the Lesson of Cassandra (in Greek Mythology) that sometimes you can change the future and sometimes you cannot, and only time will tell which is which. If you cannot deal with the possibility of your personal wants or expectations being wrong, then you should not be consulting a means of divination. I have seen even long-time craft-folk who forget this lesson in the heat of emotion.

4) There is not a magical answer behind everything.

I have known some folks who became so obsessed in their personal paranoia of some form of 'magical attack' or 'magical influence' that such became their excuse for everything that occurred around them, even when very simple non-magical answers existed to explain what had occurred. The number of magical practitioners at present is VERY small, and most have a range of influence that doesn't extend far on their own. The gathering of hateful or vindictive emotional energy to achieve a magical attack on another is not done easily or quickly, and tends to harm the attacker more often than the target. Look with logic on a situation.

5) Diversify.

Don't depend on or look into only a single philosophy or magical application - a specialist is usually someone who is refusing to grow beyond boundaries they have set for themselves.

6) A single teacher is NOT enough.

You will spend a lifetime as a real student, even if others one day declare you a teacher, leader or High Priestess. Gather from many to find what your life path is. Do not let anyone tell you there is ONLY one true belief system, one true Divinity, one way to approach a situation or one teacher to follow.

7) In the end you ARE Solitary.

All Magickal workers are eventually forced to depend upon their own company, separated from the many communities and groups by distance, time or belief. You will probably spend more time solitary then in a group. Be prepared to face this when it happens. The Pagan Community is too small to be everywhere for everyone or to even always help its own (though trying to do so is a goal I feel vital to expand the community).You must become sufficiently balanced and grounded to deal with being alone and to practice your beliefs alone, especially in times of hardship and adversity.

8) Don't be too fast to assume the role of a teacher, or to assume that a student cannot teach you something in return.

Can you really explain what you believe and do within your belief coherently? Does the person to be taught really want to learn it all and are they sincere, or are they merely curious or on a 'power trip'? Learning to know when someone is ready to learn is one of the hardest lessons you must learn if you purposely teach. Don't give a hand grenade to a three year old and expect positive results.

9) Not all paths and philosophies are desirable.

There are many that are self-destructive, purely self-indulgent or a combination of both. If a path cannot teach you some form of inner peace with yourself and what you are doing in life, or is devoted to manipulating others to achieve your personal benefits, then it is a dead-end path', one that is a cul-de-sac on the path of growth.

10) Don't do what feels uncomfortable.

If performing a ritual, using a magic form, reciting a chant/prayer or performing an activity feels personally painful, uncomfortable or wrong' then it is not for you to be involved with it at that time. Listen to the inner voice of your spirit and follow its lead. Intuition is a powerful gift; don't waste it by always opposing it.

11) You will have to take chances.

Magic doesn't work on its own, and positive karma won't help you if you fight it when it seeks to restore balance around you. It is not enough to cast a prosperity spell and then sit home and wait for a letter in the mail from Ed MacMahn with a check in it! You must take non-magical action to help things along. Cast a spell for a new job? Sure, but then don't turn down a chance to read job listings, mail resumes or attend an interview! Working to heal a sick spouse? Ok, but make sure they are getting medical advice, enough to eat, attention, care, therapy, etc. to help the magic on its way!

Found on: www.moonlightmessages.com

The truth is!

Merry Meet,

        So I was considering closing my blog because I became so busy with school and work and life in general but the truth is I am not going to because quite frankly I don’t want to! This was supposed to be a learning experience for me and everyone who follows my blog, although it’s not many, so Imma stick with it. I plan to blog every day for about fifteen minutes whether it’s before I go to bed or as I wake up in the morning or like now between my classes I will blog! So enjoy and comment its needed encouragement! <3 

Blessed Be )O(,

Yemaya Dreamcaster A.K.A. Daughter of the Goddess