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Listen
to the Words of the Great Mother, Who was of old called
among men Artemis, Astarte, Diana, Melusine, Aphrodite,
Cerridwen, Dana, Arianrhod, Isis, Bride, and by many
other Names.
At
My Altars the youth of most distant ages gave love,
and made due sacrifice. Whenever ye have need of anything,
once in the month, and better it be when the Moon is
Full, then shall ye gather in some secret place and
adore the Spirit of Me, Who am Queen of All Witcheries.
There shall ye gather, ye who are fain to learn all
Magick, yet have not yet 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. 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 toward 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 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: on 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 encircleth
the Universe.
I,
Who am the Beauty of the Green Earth, and the White
Moon amongst the Stars, and the Mystery of the Waters,
and the Desire of the heart of man, I call unto thy
soul: "Arise! And come unto Me!"
For
I am the Soul of Nature, Who giveth Life to the Universe:
from Me all things proceed, and unto Me all things must
return. And before My Face, which is beloved of gods
and men, thine innermost Divine Self shall 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,
honor 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 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.
By Doreen Valiente
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