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Charge of the Goddess
By following the Wiccan religion you are affirming your belief in the
sanctity of the Earth, and acknowledging that you depend upon the Earth
for your very life. Although modern lifestyles do not encourage
awareness of our personal relationship with the turning seasons, or the
patterns of life, growth, death and decay, that does not mean that they
no longer exist. The ebb and flow of the Earth's energies may be hidden
beneath a physical shell of tarmac and concrete, and a psychic one of
human indifference, but they are nevertheless there for those who wish
to acknowledge them once more. We do this by observing the changes of
the seasons, and feeling the changes reflected in our innermost selves,
and in our everyday lives.
In our rituals we focus upon different aspects of the
God and Goddess, and participate in the celebration of their mysteries;
thus we re-affirm our connections on the most profound levels. The
Wiccan Wheel has two great inspirations; it is both a wheel of
celebration, and a wheel of initiation. As a wheel of initiation it
hopes to guide those who tread its pathway towards an understanding of
the mysteries of life and the universe, expressed through the teachings
of the Old Ones made manifest in the turning of the seasons.
For a Wiccan, the gods and nature are one. In exploring
the mysteries of the seasons we are seeking to penetrate more deeply the
mysteries of the God and Goddess. As a wheel of celebration, Wiccans
accord to the words of the Charge of the Goddess, where She says, "Let
my worship be within the heart that rejoiceth, for behold, all acts of
Love and Pleasure are my rituals"; and that, "Ye shall dance, sing,
feast, make music and love, all in my praise". Anyone can celebrate the
turning of the seasons, in their own way, and in their own time. Wiccan
covens will commonly gather together, and make the Festivals times of
joyful merrymaking, but you can just as easily make the celebration a
solitary one, or with just one or two friends. The principles do not
alter; just the way in which you acknowledge them.
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