Commentary on the Charge of the Goddess 39: Textual Analysis of the Ye Bok of Ye Art Magical Version

I shall attempt to analyse the text of each version of the Charge to identify sources, based on the sources identified above. It should be borne in mind that in doing this I am treating the Charge as a single literary composition by Gardner and Valiente, using as sources both the earlier version, which itself draws on texts from other sources.

These texts are in places quoted directly, which is my first level of influence (as above) on the Charge by these texts. I have arbitrarily allowed as direct quotation passages which have either been altered merely to fit the context of the Charge (for example third person changed to first), passages which have had particles or words such as ‘behold’ added to fit the form of the Charge, and passages which I feel someone who knew the original source could reasonably be expected to recognise (as did Doreen Valiente). This rule and the decisions I have made based on it are not infallible in a text as heavily edited as the Charge; the ‘keep pure your highest ideal...’ passage is an example of this.

          In the changes made by Valiente for the verse and final prose versions of the Charge, the influence of these direct quotations is still present, but at one remove, so I shall also try to identify these passages.

There remain a number of passages which do not have any obvious literary source, and I shall also identify these. I would tentatively identify them as Gardner and Valiente’s own composition. For the purpose of this analysis I have disregarded my third level of influence – ideas found in other texts likely to have been known to Gardner and which appear to have had an influence on the Charge, because the connection between these possible sources and the text of the Charge is too tenuous to prove that they were used.

After I have identified the likely sources for the Charge, I will compare the three different versions’ uses of these sources.

Passages directly quoting Aradia

Whenever you 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 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 really free, ye shall be naked in your rites, both men and women, And ye shall dance, sing, feast make music, and love, all in my praise. (109 words)

Passages directly quoting Crowley: Law of Liberty

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. to taste even on earth the elixir of immortality. Say “Let ecstasy be mine, and joy on earth even to me, To Me” For I am a gracious 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. I love you: I yearn for you: page or purple, veiled or voluptuous. 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 divine self who art lost in the constant rapture of infinite joy. Let the rituals be rightly preformed with joy and beauty. Remember that all acts of love and pleasure are my rituals. So let there be beauty and strength, leaping laughter, force and fire within you. (198 words)

Passages directly quoting Crowley: Liber Cordis Cincti Serpente

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 Lo, Thou wast with me from the beginning For they that ever desired me, shall ever attain me, even to the end of all desire (52 words)

Passages directly quoting Crowley: Khabs Am Pekht

There is a Secret Door that I have made to establish the way (13 words)

Passages with no known literary source

Listen to the words of the Great Mother, who of old was also called among men Artemis: Astarte: Dione: Melusine: Aphrodite and by many other names. At mine Altars the youth of Lacedaemon and Sparta made due sacrifice. Hear ye the words of the Star Goddess. (46 words)

Discussion

First to compare the proportions of direct quotation and original material in this version:

Total word count	418 words
Direct quotation	372  words (89%)
Material with no source identified	46 words (11%)

And now to compare the different sources for quotations as proportion of the whole Charge:

Total word count	418 words
Direct quotation from Aradia	109 words (26.08%)
Direct quotation from Crowley: Law of Liberty	198 words (47.37%)
Direct quotation from Crowley: Liber Cordis Cincti Serpente	52 words (12.44%)
Direct quotation from Crowley: Khabs Am Pekht	13 words (3.11%)

And finally to compare the relative proportions within the quoted material of the sources used for the quotations:

Total direct quotation	372 words
Direct quotation from Aradia	109 words (29.3%)
Direct quotation from Crowley: Law of Liberty	198 words (53.23%)
Direct quotation from Crowley: Liber Cordis Cincti Serpente	52 words (13.98%)
Direct quotation from Crowley: Khabs Am Pekht	13 words (3.49%)
Total Crowley quotation	263 words (70.7%)