Commentary on the Charge of the Goddess 43: Appendix: Passage from Crowley's Law of Liberty

‘...mere Marian or Melusine; she is Nuit Herself, specially concentrated and incarnated in a human form to give you infinite love, to bid you taste even on earth the Elixir of Immortality. “But ecstasy be mine and joy on earth; ever To Me! To Me!”

‘Again she speaks: “Love is the law, love under will.” Keep pure your highest ideal; strive ever toward it without allowing aught to stop you or turn you aside, even as a star sweeps upon its incalculable and infinite course of glory, and all is Love. The Law of your being becomes Light, Life, Love and Liberty.All is peace, all is harmony and beauty, all is joy.

‘For hear, how gracious is the Goddess: “I give unimaginable joys on earth; certainty, not faith, while in life, upon death; peace unutterable, rest, ecstasy; nor do I demand aught in sacrifice.”

‘Is not this better than the death-in-life of the slaves of the Slave-Gods, as they go oppressed by consciousness of “sin,” wearily seeking or simulating wearisome and tedious “virtues”?

‘With such, we who have accepted the Law of Thelema have nothing to do. We have heard the voice of the Star-Goddess: “I love you! I yearn to you! Pale or purple, veiled or voluptuous, I who am all pleasure and purple, and drunkenness of the innermost sense, desire you. Put on the wings, and arouse the coiled splendour within you; come unto me!”...’ (

Crowley, 2007, p. 49.)

Commentary on the Charge of the Goddess 42: Comparison of the Sources of the Three Versions

	BAM Charge (418 words)	Verse Charge (189 words)	Final Charge (498 words)
Direct quotation
From Aradia	109 words (26.08%)	-	106 words (21.29%)
From Crowley: Law of Liberty	198 words (47.37%)	-	-
From Crowley: Liber Cordis Cincti Serpente	52 words (12.44%)	-	-
From Crowley: Khabs Am Pekht	13 words (3.11%)	-	-
From Golden Dawn Neophyte ritual	-	-	18 words (3.61%)
From Magnetic Magic	-	-	18 words (3.61%)
From BAM, with no known source	-	-	51 words (10.25%)
Total direct quotation	372 words (89%)	-	193 words (38.76%)
Editing of quotation in BAM
From Crowley: Law of Liberty	-	7 words (3.7%)	114 words (22.89%)
From Crowley: Liber Cordis Cincti Serpente	-	-	39 words (7.83%)
From Crowley: Khabs am Pekht	-	-	12 words (2.4%)
From Aradia	-	57 words (30.15%)	-
Total reuse of quotations in BAM	-	64 words (33.86%)	165 words (33.13%)
Edited BAM material with no known source	-	15 words (7.94%)	-
Material original to this version	46 words (11%)	110 words (58.2%)	139 words (27.91%)

Discussion

          It is clear from the comparisons above that it is too simplistic to say that the Charge is a ritual item put together by Gardner and Valiente with various quotations from Crowley and Aradia.

          Obviously the BAM version of the Charge is the one most heavily dependent on quotation from these two sources, with a relatively small amount added (which, since evidence is absent for any sources of this material, I would tentatively ascribe to Gardner) to make the quotations take their literary form of a Wiccan Charge.

          The subsequent versions of the Charge reused this quoted material, usually in a heavily edited form, while at each rewriting adding further new material (again in the absence of evidence for the sources of this material, I would tentatively ascribe its origin to Gardner/Valiente), and, in the case of the final version, more quotation from other sources than Crowley.

          Valiente succeeded in her aim of ridding the verse version of the Charge of references from Crowley, with one echo from the quotations from him found in the BAM Charge. It is true that other people have said that we should love each other, or that love should be our guiding principle, but I believe that the particular connection of the words ‘law’ and ‘love’ in the same sentence would suggest Crowley to most people, and certainly to occultists such as Gardner and Valiente. The verse version includes further allusions to the quotations in BAM from Aradia but the greatest proportion of material in this version is new material, which resonates strongly of Valiente’s other poetic work. The somewhat Masonic tone of this material is interesting, with mentions of five-fold kisses and fellowship.

          In the final version, much of the Crowley material excised from the verse version was reintroduced, but in an edited form. This Charge is much less dependent on direct quotation, however retains the long passage from Aradia, a little Crowley, and some new quotations from occult writers. A relatively large proportion of the material, however, is once again entirely new unprovenanced material, a welcome indication of the inspiration and creativity of the Mother of Wicca.

Commentary on the Charge of the Goddess 41: Textual Analysis of the Final Version

In the final version of the Charge, Valiente drew more on the BAM Charge than she had for her verse version, including reusing the quotations from Crowley, mostly in edited form. New quotations from other sources were introduced, which have been identified in the sources above. So once again this Charge includes three levels of influence from other texts: direct quotation (once again decided on using the same rules as in Appendix A), both new to this version and quotations already used in the BAM Charge; edited quoted material from BAM; and further material new to this version.

Passages directly quoting Aradia, and also in BAM

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 really free, ye shall be naked in your rites, and ye shall dance, sing, feast, make music, and love, all in my praise. (106 words)

Passages directly quoting Crowley: Law of Liberty and also in BAM

Nor do I demand aught in sacrifice; (7 words)

Passages not in BAM, directly quoting from HOGD Neophyte ritual

From me all things proceed; and unto me, all things must return; (12 words)

Passages not in BAM, using direct quotation from Magnetic Magic

That if that which thou seekest thou findest not within thee; Thou wilt never find it without thee. (18 words)

Passages based on direct quotation in BAM from Crowley: Liber Cordis Cincti Serpenti

And thou who thinkest to seek me; Know that they seeking and yearning shall avail thee not; For behold; I have been with thee from the beginning, and I am that which is attained at the end of desire. (39 words)

Passages based on direct quotation in BAM from Crowley: Khabs am Pekht

For mine is the secret which opens upon the door of youth (12 words)

Passages based on direct quotation in BAM from Crowley: Law of Liberty

Keep pure your highest Ideals; Strive ever towards it; Let naught stop you or turn you aside; For mine is ecstasy of the Spirit, and mine is also joy on earth; which is the Holy Grail of Immortality; For my Law is Love; I am the Gracious Goddess; Upon Earth I give the knowledge of the Spirit Eternal; and beyond death I give peace and freedom;  arise and come unto me; thine innermost divine self shall be enfolded in the raptures of the infinite; 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 Reverence within you. (114 words)

Passages also in BAM, with no apparent known source

Listen to the words of the Great mother, who was of old also called among men, Artimis; Astarte; Dione; Melisine, Aphrodite, Aphrodite, Cerridwen; Diana Arianrod; Bride; and by many other names; At mine Altars the youths of Lacedaemon in Sparta made due sacrifice; Hear ye the words of the Star Goddess, (51 words)

Passages not in BAM, with no apparent known source

unto all beings; and mine is the cup of the Wine of Life; and the Cauldron of Cerridwen;  who gives the gift of Joy unto the heart of Man; and reunion with those who have gone before;  for behold; I am the Mother of all things; and my love is poured out upon earth; 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; l call unto thy soul; For l am the Soul of nature who giveth life to the Universe; Let my worship be within the heart that rejoiceth; Beloved of the Gods and men; unless thou know the mystery (139 words)

Discussion

The version of the Charge in BAM is obviously very influential on this one, so first to analyse the proportion of passages influenced by, or identical to, passages in BAM, with the passages which are new in this version, either quotations or with no other apparent source.

Total words	498 words
Passages identical to, or influenced by, passages in BAM	329 words (66.06%)
Passages with no apparent origin in BAM	169 words (33.94%)

To compare the sources of material reused from BAM:

Total words	329 words	As a proportion of the whole (498 words)
Passages quoting Aradia	106 words (32.22%)	21.29%
Passages quoting Crowley: Law of Liberty	7 words (2.13%)	1.4%
Passages based on quotation in BAM from Crowley: Liber Cordis Cincti Serpente	39 words (11.85%)	7.83%
Passages based on direct quotation in BAM from Crowley: Khabs am Pekht	12 words (3.65%)	2.4%
Passages based on direct quotation in BAM from Crowley: Law of Liberty	114 words (34.65%)	22.89%
Passages also in BAM, with no known source	51 words (15.5%)	10.25%

To compare the sources of material new to this Charge:

Total words	169 words	As a proportion of the whole (498 words)
Directly quoting Golden Dawn Neophyte ritual	12 words (7.1%)	2.4%
Directly quoting Magnetic Magic	18 words (10.65%)	3.61%
No known source	139 words (82.25%)	27.91%

To compare the sources of direct quotations in this Charge:

Total words	143 words	As a proportion of the whole (498 words)
Passages quoting Aradia	106 words (74.13%)	21.29%
Passages quoting Crowley: Law of Liberty	7 words (4.9%)	1.4%
Passages quoting Golden Dawn Neophyte ritual	12 words (8.39%)	2.4%
Passages quoting Magnetic Magic	18 words (12.59%)	3.61%

Commentary on the Charge of the Goddess 40: Textual Analysis of the Verse Version

In analysing the text of the verse Charge, a new layer of influence becomes apparent, compared to Ye Bok of ye Art Magic version: material used as direct quotation in the first version, which has now been edited further to fit the verse version. In this version there are some echoes of the direct quotation from Crowley in the BAM version, such as the ‘ecstasy on earth’ passage. I have decided not to treat these as editing of direct quotation in the BAM version in this analysis, because I do not think enough of the context is retained to make them easily recognisable to a person who knew the original Crowley source but not the BAM Charge.  Another example would be the lines ‘from me they come, to me they go,’ which could be a reference to the lines from the Golden Dawn Neophyte ritual later used in the last version of the Charge, but without knowing whether that was consciously used as the source, it is only possible to say that these lines contain the same idea. Once again, because this sort of decision has had to be made, this analysis of the text cannot claim to be the final word.

Material editing direct quotation from Aradia in BAM

Ye who ask of me a boon, Meet ye in some hidden shade, By the light of the full moon. Queen of witchery and night. Ye who are fain of sorcery, I bring ye secrets yet unknown. No more shall ye know slavery, Come ye all naked to the rite, In sign that ye are truly free. (57 words)

Passages editing material from BAM with no known source

Aphrodite, Arianrhod, Diana, Brigid, Melusine, Am I named of old by men; Artemis and Cerridwen, (15 words)

Passages editing direct quotation from Crowley: Law of Liberty in BAM

No other law but love I know, (7 words)

Passages not in BAM, with no known source

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, Lover of the Hornèd God, Hell’s dark mistress, Heaven’s Queen. Lead my dance in greenwood glade, Dance about mine altar stone, Work my hold magistry Who tread my round the Sabbat night. 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. By naught but love may I be known; And all that liveth is my own, From me they come, to me they go. (110 words)

First, to compare the proportion of material reused from BAM, and material apparently new for this version of the Charge:

Total words	189 words
Material from BAM Charge	79 words (41.8%)
Material not found in BAM Charge	110 words (58.2%)

So the verse Charge is more than a rewrite of the earlier version: in fact without the Aradia references, or if you didn’t know they came from Aradia, it reads as a superb example of Valiente’s poetry.

Next to compare the sources of material reused from BAM:

Total material reused from BAM	79 words
Passages reusing material quoting Aradia	57 words (72.15%)
Passages reusing material quoting Crowley: Law of Liberty	7 words (8.86%)
Passages reusing material with no known source	15 words (18.99%)

Valiente succeeded in her aim of ridding the ritual of Wicca from references to ‘Crowleyanity’, while retaining references to Aradia.

And finally to compare the sources of material reused from BAM as a proportion of the whole verse Charge:

Total words	189 words
Passages reusing material quoting Aradia	57 words (30.15%)
Passages reusing material quoting Crowley	7 words (3.7%)
Passages reusing material with no known source	15 words (7.94%)

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%)