Before time was, there was The One; The One was all & all was The One.
And the vast expanse known as the Universe was The One, all wise, all-pervading, all-powerful, eternally changing.
And Space moved. The One molded energy into twin forms equal but opposite, fashioning the Goddess and God from The
One and of The One.
The Goddess & God stretched and gave thanks to The One, but darkness surrounded them. They were alone, solitary save
for The One.
So they formed energy and gases into suns and planets and moons; They sprinkled the Universe with whirling globes and so all
was given shape by the hands of the Goddess and God. Light arose and the sky was illuminated by a billion suns, and the
Goddess and God, satisfied by their works, rejoiced and loved, and were one.
From their union sprang seeds of life, and of the human race, so that we might achieve incarnation upon the Earth.
The Goddess chose the Moon as her symbol, and the god the Sun as his symbol to remind the inhabitants of Earth of their
fashioners.
All are born, live, die and are reborn beneath The Sun and Moon; all things come to pass thereunder, and all occurs with the
blessings of The One, as has been the way of existence before time was.
(Wicca - Scott Cunningham)
From Doreen Valiente's "Witchcraft For Tomorrow"
(Wicca - Scott Cunningham)
(Wicca - S. Cunningham)
Listen to the words of the Great Mother, she who of old was also called among men Artemis, Astarte, Athene, Dione,
Melusine, Aphrodite, Cerridwen, Danu, Arianrhod, Isis, Bride, and by many other names. Whenever ye have need of me,
once in a 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 fain to learn all sorcery, yet have not won it's deepest
secrets; to these I will teach things that are yet unknown. And ye shall be free from slavery; and as a sign that ye are truly free
ye shall be naked in your rites; and ye shall dance, sing, feast, make music, and love all in my presence. For mine is the ecstacy
of the spirit, and mine is also the joy on Earth. Keep pure your highest ideal, strive ever towards it; let naught stop you or turn
you aside; for I am the gracious 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 unutterable. Nor do I demand aught in sacrifice, for behold, I am the mother
of all living, and my love, is poured out upon the Earth. From me all things proceed, and to me all things must return. Let my
worship be in the heart that rejoiceth; for behold, all acts of love and pleasure are my rituals. Let there be beauty and strength,
power, and compassion, honour 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 this mystery; that if that which thou seekest thou findest not
within thee, then thou wilt never find without thee. For behold, I have been with thee from the beginning; and I am that with is
attained at the end of desire.
Listen to the words of the Horn'd God, the Guardian of all things wild and free, and Keeper of the Gates of Death, whose Call
all must answer: I am the fire within your heart. The yearning of your Soul. I am the Hunter of Knowledge and the Seeker of
the Holy Quest; I who stand in the darkness of light; I am He whom you have called Death. I the Consort and Mate of Her we
adore, call forth to thee. Heed my call beloved ones, come unto me and learn the secrets of death and peace. I am the corn at
harvest and the fruit on the trees. I am He who leads you home. Scourge and Flame, Blade and Blood these are mine and gifts
to thee. Call unto me in the forest wild and on hilltop bare and seek me in the Darkness Bright. I who have been called; Pan,
Herne, Osiris, and Hades, speak to thee in thy search. Come dance and sing; come live and smile, for behold: this is my
worship. You are my children and I am thy Father. On swift night wings it is I who lay you at the Mother's feet to be reborn
and to return again. Thou who thinks to seek me, know that I am the untamed wind, the fury of storm and passion in your
Soul. Seek me with pride and humility, but seek me best with love and strength. For this is my path, and I love not the weak
and fearful. Hear my call on long Winter nights and we shall stand together guarding Her Earth as She sleeps.
It was a virtue not to stay,
To go our headstrong and heroic way
Seeking her out at the volcano's head,
Among pack ice, or where the track had faded
Beyond the cavern of the seven sleepers:
Whose broad high brow was white as any leper's,
Whose eyes were blue, with rowan-berry lips,
With hair curled honey-colored to white lips.
Green sap of Spring in the young wood a-stir
Will celebrate the Mountain Mother,
And every song-bird shout awhile for her;
But we are gifted, even in November
Rawest of seasons, with so huge a sense
Of her nakedly worn magnificence
We forget cruelty and past betrayal,
Heedless of where the next bright bolt may fall.
by: Robert Graves