God and Goddess?
"Before time was, there was The One; The One was all, and
all was The One.
And the vast expanse known as the universe was The One, all-wise, all-pervading,
all-poweful, eternally changing.
And space moved. The One molded energy into twin forms, equal but
opposite, fashioning the Goddess and God from The One and The One.
The Goddess and God stretched and gave thanks to The One, but darkness
surrounded them. They were alone, solitary save for The One.
So They formed energy into gasses and gasses 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 thier union sprang the seeds of all life, and of the human race,
so thatwe 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..."
One of the common threads of Wiccan practice is the belief that the Universe is split
into equal yet entirely opposite energies. There are those energies that are Female,
and those energies that are Male. These energies are ruled over by the Goddess and the God.
They are two seperate energies that are also One.
One of the unique things about Wiccan practice is, you can choose whatever
name you feel comfortable for your Goddess and God... because all the Goddesses are
One Goddess, and all the Gods are One God. No matter what name you choose
to call them, you are still worshipping the two polar opposites of the Divine
Presence. If you feel more comfortable with the Greek Pantheon, use them.
If you feel more comfortable with Hindu Gods, Egyptian Gods.. whatever. I have a
few friends who worship Celtic Gods. Others worship Norse. And I have
seen Wiccans that feel the most comfortable naming Aztec gods in thier rituals.
The best thing about this is that we are all worshipping the same being!
There is no one, true God or one, true faith. Wiccans realize that
every soul has it's own path to take to fulfill itself and gain all it's
karmic knowledge.
"I am the Great Mother, worshipped by all creation and existent prior to their conciousness. I am the primal female force, boundless and eternal.
I am the chaste Goddess of the Moon, the Lady of all Magick. The winds and moving leaves sing my name. I wear the crescent moon upon my brow and my feet rest among the starry heavens. I am mystery yet unsolved, a path newly taken. I am a field untouched by plow. Rejoice in me, and know the fullness of youth.
I am the blessed Mother, the gracious Lady of the harvest. I am clothed with the deep, cool wonder of the Earth and the gold of the fields heavy with grain. By me the tieds of the Earth are ruled; all things come to fruition according to my season. I am refuge and healing. I am the life-giving Mother, wondrously fertile.
Worship me as the Crone, tender of the unbroken cycle of death and rebirth. I am the wheel, the shadow of the Moon. I rule the tides of women and men and give them release and renewal to weary souls. Though the darkness of death is my domain, the joy of birth is my gift.
I am the Goddess of the Moon, the Earth, the Seas. My names and strengths are manifold. I pour
forth magick and power, peace and wisdom. I am the eternal Maiden, Mother of all, and Crone of
darkness, and I send you blessings of limitless love."
- The Song of the Goddess
The Goddess can be seen as the Universal Mother. She is the source of all feminine energy, fertility and wisdom. She has three faces. She is the Maiden, passionate, young, full of life. She is the Mother, fertile, abundant, giving and full of wealth. She is the Crone, wise, dark, bringer of death. She brings us life, nurtures us, and promises us the rest of death after our earthly toils. She is symbolized in the birth, waxing, waning and death of the Moon. Wiccans usually worship the fertility, love and abundance of the Goddess, though we all recognize her Crone aspect as well.
Many symbols are used in Ritual to represent her. The Cauldron, the Cup, the five-petaled flower, Mirrors, Necklaces, Seashells, Pearls and the colour Silver. Anything round and soft that reminds us of the womb, fertility, and the Moon's light. As the Goddess rules over the Seas, Anything from the Sea is also a good symbol of the Goddess (as the Seashell and the Pearl).
Animals that are sacred to the Goddess include the rabbit, bear, owl, cat, dog, goose, snake, spider, cow, dolphin, lion, horse, wren, and bee.
Below is the Charge of the Goddess, part of a ritual in the Gardnerian Coven Tradition. It is recited at the begining of a circle ritual. I have it printed here because it is an authentic look at Old Wiccan Writ, and also because there are many things you can learn about the faces of the Goddess from reading it. I use the Song of the Goddess, which is printed above, but the Charge is just as good.
Listen to the words of the Great Mother, who of old was called Artemis, Astarte, Dione, Melusine, Aphrodite, Ceridwen, Diana, Arionrhod, Brigid, and by many other names:
"Whenever you have a need of anything, once in the month, and better it be when the moon is full, you shall assemble in some secret place and adore the spirit of Me who is Queen of all the Wise. You shall be free from slavery, and as a sign that you be free you shall be naked to your rites. Sing, feast, dance, make music and love, all in My presence, for Mine is the ecstacy of the spirit and Mine is also the joy of the earth. For my law is love unto all beings. Mine is the secret that opens upon the door of youth, and Mine is the cup of wine of life that is the Cauldron to Ceridwen that is the holy grail of immortality. I give the knowledge of the spirit eternal and beyond death I give peace and freedom and reunion with those that have gone before. Nor do I demand aught of sacrifice, for behold, I am the mother of all things and My love is poured upon the earth."
Hear the words of the Star Goddess, the dust of whose feet are the hosts of heaven, whose body encircles the universe:
”I who am the beauty of the green earth and the white moon among the stars and the mysteries of the waters, I call upon your soul to arise and come unto me. For I am the soul of nature that gives life to the universe. From Me all things proceed and unto Me they must return. Let My worship be in the heart that rejoices, for behold – all acts of love and pleasure are my rituals. Let there be beauty and strength, power and compassion, honor and humility, mirth and reverence within you. And you who seek to know Me, know that your seeking and yearning will avail you not, unless you know the Mystery: for if that which you seek, you find not within yourself, you will never find it without. For behold, I have been with you from the beginning, and I am that which is attained at the end of desire.”
"I am the radient King of the Heavens, flooding the Earth with warmth and encouraging the hidden seed of creation to burst forth into manifestation. I lift my shining spear to light the lives of all beings and daily pour forth my gold upon the Earth, putting to flight the powers of darkness.
I am the master of the beasts wild and free. I run with the swift stag and soar as a sacred falcon against the shimmering sky. The ancient woods and wild places emanate my powers, and the birds of the air sing my sanctity.
I am also the last harvest, offering up grain and fruits benearth the sickle of time so that all may be nourished. For without planting there can be no harvest, without winter, no spring.
Worship me as the thousand-named Sun of creation, the spirit of the horned stag in the wild, the endless harvest. See in the yearly cycle of festivals my birth, death, and rebirth - and know that such is the destiny of all creation.
I am the spark of life, the radiant Sun, the giver of peace and rest, and I send my rays of blessings to warm the hearts and strengthen the minds of all."
- The Call of the God
The God is Symbolized in the Sun, the provider of all warmth, and thus we cannot live without it. As the Sun rises and sets, it too follows the cycle of life. We worship the God as the warm bringer of light and life, shining upon the Earth and helping seeds to grow and spring forth from the fertile Earth.
The God is also the tender of the Wild Beasts, often depicted as the Horned God. Hunting is often seen to be a task ruled over by the God, and he is often depicted as running in the wild with his creatures. The God's domains are forests untouched by human hands, burning deserts, towering mountains. The wild and untamed are under his rule.
The yearly cycle of nature is seen as being under the Sun's rule, and the cycle of the year's holidays are celebrated according to this cycle. The God is the newly sprung greens, and he grows and matures into the abundant harvest, after which he sacrifices himself for us. This is what Wiccans consider to be the end of the year, when the God's abundant harvest is reaped by us so that we may eat over the long winter.
The God also rules over Sex, with the Goddess. It is a natural and sacred process that Wiccans don't shy from. The God imbues us with the lusty urge that perpetuates our species.
Symbols of the God used in Ritual include the Sword or Athame, horns, spears, candles, the sickle, arrows, tridents, the Magick Wand, and the colour Gold. Anything phallic is associated with the God, as the opposite of the round womb of the Goddess.
Animals sacred to the God include the bull, fish, stag, dragon, wolf, boar, eagle, falcon, shark, and lizard.
Below is the Garnerian Charge of the God.
Listen to the word of the Great Father, who of old was called Osiris, Adonis, Zues, Thor, Pan, Cerununnos, Heren, Lugh, and by many other names:
"My law is harmony with all things. Mine is the secret that opens the gates of life, and mind is the dish of salt of the earth, thatis the body of Cerununnos that is the eternal circle of rebirth. I give the knowledge of life everlasting, and beyond death I give the promise of regeneration and renewal. I am the sacrifice, the father of all things, and my protection blankets the earth"
Hear the words of the dancing God, the music of whose laughter stirs the winds, whose voice calls the seasons:
"I who am the Lord of the Hunt and the Power of Light, sun among the clouds and the secret of the flame, I call upon your bodies to arise and come unto me. For I am the flesh of the earth and all its beings. Through me all things must die, and with me are reborn. Let my worship be in the body that sings, for behold, all acts of willing sacrifice are my rituals. Let there be desire and fear, anger and weakness, joy and peace, awe and longing within you. For these too are part of the mysteries found within yourself, within me, all beginnings have endings, and all endings have beginings."
The Call of the Goddess and Charge of the God are © Scott Cunningham, taken from his book "Wicca: A Guide for the Solitary Practitioner"