Commentary on the Charge of the Goddess 2: History of the Charge

The Charge of the Goddess exists in a number of manuscript versions, both in modern witches’ Books of Shadows, and in Gerald Gardner’s notebooks. The earliest version exists in a ritual book cum notebook entitled Ye Bok of ye Art Magical (BAM), presently owned by the New Wiccan Church in Canada. No direct evidence for its sources or composition, such as would be formed by letters from Gerald Gardner, for example, now exists, but some dates can be surmised.
The published history of the Charge of the Goddess begins in 1953 At Doreen Valiente’s initiation by Gerald Gardner. He had read his then version of the Charge at the initiation, was discomfited by her recognition of the quotations from Aleister Crowley’s published works in it, and challenged her to do better (Doreen Valiente: The Rebirth of Witchcraft. Robert Hale, London, 2007.).  This text equates to two of the recensions of the  text of the Book of Shadows identified by the Farrars as ‘Version A’, since it appears in Gardner’s Ye Bok of ye Art Magical, and ‘Version B’ , that further developed by Gardner and used at the time of Valiente’s initiation in 1953 (Janet and Stewart Farrar:  The Witches’ Way, p.3. In Janet and Stewart Farrar: A Witches’ Bible.  Robert Hale, London, 1984. Text A equates to hypothetical rituals inherited from the New Forest coven and developed by Gardner. Text B refers to the more developed version he was using when he initiated Valiente in 1953. Text C refers to the version of the rituals further developed by Gardner and Valiente together, and still being used today.). Kelly dates Ye Bok to 1949,  while Dearnaley dates it to before 1947 (Roger Dearnaley: The Influence of Aleister Crowley upon “Ye Bok of ye Art Magical”. <http://www.lashtal.com/nuke/module-subjects-viewpage-pageid-91.phtml>  Updated 2005, Accessed 9.3.10.) . Dearnaley bases his dating on the evidence that the quotations from Crowley’s Book of the Law in the Charge do not come directly from this work, but from it as already quoted in the books contained in the Blue Equinox. For this reason he discounts the rumours that Crowley personally contributed to the compiling of the early Wiccan ritual texts; anyway a Thelemite would hardly use the text of the Law in the way which it is used here. He bases his pre-1947 date on the fact that Gardner bought The Book of the Law from Crowley in 1947, so we know he had access to the text after that, and surmises that previously his only access to the text was via The Blue Equinox, which does not contain this book. (I am treating Versions A and B as the same, since Kelly identifies no changes in the Charge by the time of Valient’s initiation, and Valiente describes the Charge as containing many phrases from Crowley) (Aidan Kelly: Inventing Witchcraft. Thoth Publications, Loughborough, 2007.).  This version (i.e. Text A or B) and the final version are here exactly as they appear in Kelly; subsequently the spelling will be corrected without further comment, and eccentricities of typing corrected:

Listen to the words of the Great Mother, who of old was also called among men Artimis: Astarte: Dione: Melusine: Aphrodite and by meny other names.
At mine Altars the youth of Lacedmonia and Spala made due sacrifice.
Whenever you have need of anything, once in the month, and better it be when the moon is full. They ye shall assemble in some secret place and adore the spirit of me who am Queen of all Witcheries.
There ye shall assemble, ye who are fain to learn all Sorcery, yet have not won its deepest secrets, to those will I teach things that are yet unknown.
And ye shall be free from slavery, And as a sign that ye be realy free, ye shall be naked in your rites, both men and wemen, And ye shall dance, sing, feast make music, and love, all in my praise.
For ecstasy is mine, and joy on earth.
For love is my law. Keep pure your highest ideal: strive ever toward it. Let naught stop you or turn you aside.
There is a Secret Door that I have made to establish the way to taste even on earth the elixir of immortality. Say “Let exstacy be mine, and joy on earth even to me, To Me” For I am a gracsous Goddess. I give unimaginable joys, on earth certainty, not faith while in life! And upon death, peace unutterable, rest, and ecstasy, nor do I demand aught in sacrifice.
Hear ye the words of the Star Goddess.
I love you: I yearn for you: page or purple, veiled or volupluous.
I who am all pleasure, and purple and drunkenness of the innermost senses, desire you, put on the wings, arouse the coiled splendour within you, “Come unto me.”
For I am the flame that burns in the heart of every man, and the core of every Star.
Let it be your inmost devine self who art lost in the constant rapture of infinite joy.
Let the rituals be rightly preformed with joy and beauty. Rember that all acts of love and pleasure are my rituals. So let there be beauty and strength, leaping laughter, force and fir be [sic] within you.
And if thou sayest, I have journied unto thee, and it availed me not, Rather shalt thou say, I called upon thee, and I waited patiently, and Low, Thou wast with me from the beginning For they that ever desired me, shall ever attain me, even to the end of all desire.” (Ibid, pp. 109-110. This is the version which appears on pp. 263-268 of Ye Bok of ye Art Magical, and is here exactly as it appears in Kelly, including spelling and punctuation, but without his single quotation marks to indicate where he has identified sources. The double quotation marks are in the original.)

Gardner was the first to publish any part of Wiccan ritual, including part of a slightly different version of this text of the Charge in Witchcraft Today in 1954:

Before an initiation a charge is read beginning: Listen to the words of the Great Mother, who of old was also called among men Artemis, Astarte, Dione, Melusine, Aphrodite and many other names. At mine altars the youth of Lacedaemon made due sacrifice. Once in the month, and better it be when the moon is full, meet in some secret place and adore me, who am queen of all the magics....
For I am a gracious goddess, I give joy on earth, certainty, not faith, while in life; and upon death, peace unutterable, rest and the ecstasy of the goddess. Nor do I demand aught in sacrifice.... (Gerald Gardner: Witchcraft Today. Arrow Books, London, 1975, p. 47.)

After her initiation Valiente, keen to rid the Craft of any association with Crowley, set to work on the rituals and retained the part of the Charge which quotes Leland’s Aradia: The Gospel of the Witches in a verse version:

 Mother darksome and divine,
Mine the scourge and mine the kiss.
Five-point star of life and bliss,
Here I charge ye in this sign.

Bow before my spirit bright,
Aphrodite, Arianrhod,
Lover of the Hornèd God,
Queen of witchery and night.

Diana, Brigid, Melusine,
Am I named of old by men;
Artemis and Cerridwen,
Hell’s dark mistress,
Heaven’s Queen.

Ye who ask of me a boon,
Meet ye in some hidden shade,
Lead my dance in greenwood glade,
By the light of the full moon.

Dance about mine altar stone,
Work my hold magistry
Ye who are fain of sorcery,
I bring ye secrets yet unknown.

No more shall ye know slavery,
Who tread my round the Sabbat night.
Come ye all naked to the rite,
In sign that ye are truly free.

Keep ye my mysteries in mirth,
Heart joined to heart and lip to lip.
Five are the points of fellowship
That bring ye ecstasy on earth.

No other law but love I know,
By naught but love may I be known;
And all that liveth is my own,
From me they come, to me they go. (Valiente, ibid, pp. 61-62.)

Unfortunately the members of the coven found some difficulty with pronouncing the Goddess names, and the word ‘magistry’, so finally Valiente wrote the better-known prose version of the Charge, which ironically reincorporated much of the Crowley material she had been keen to eliminate. This version (of Text C) is taken from Kelly, as Valiente did not publish her own version:

THE CHARGE, to be read while the initiate stands, properly prepared before the Circle.
[Magus]: Listen to the words of the Great mother, who was of old also called among men, Artimis; Astarte; Dione; Melisine, Aphrodite, Cerridwen; Diana Arianrod; Bride; and by many other names.
[High Priestess]:
At mine Altars the youths of Lacedemon in Spata made due sacrifice.
Whenever ye have need of anything, once in the month, and better it be when the moon is full. Then ye shall assemble in some secret place and adore the spirit of Me who am Queen of all Witcheries.
There ye shall assemble, ye who are fain to learn all sorcery, yet who 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 realy 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 ecstasy of the Spirit, and mine is also joy on earth, For my Law is Love unto all beings. Keep pure your highest Ideals. Strive ever towards it. Let naught stop you or turn you aside.
For mine is the secret which opens upon the door of youth; and mine is the cup of the Wine of Life: and the Cauldren of Cerridwen; which is the Holy Grail of Lmortality.
L am the Graceious 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 aught in sacrifice; for behold. I am the Mother of all things; and my love is poured out upon earth.
[Magus]: 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.
[High Priestess]: L 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; l call unto thy soul; arise and come unto me.
For l am the Soul of nature who giveth life to the Universe; From me all things proceed; and unto me, all things must return; Beloved of the Gods and men; thine innermost divine self shall be enfolded in the raptures 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 Reverance within you.
And thou who thinkest to seek me; Know that they seeking and yerning shall avail thee notl unless thou know the mystery, That if that which thou sleekest 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. (Kelly, ibid, pp. 183-184.)