be thy womb, which bringeth forth the life of man,’
and kisses her on the lower belly. (Where a Priestess is giving the Five-Fold Kiss to a Priest she kisses him in the same place but would say ‘phallus’ rather than ‘womb’.) He then rises to his feet and says,
‘Blessed Be thy breast, formed in strength and beauty,’
and kisses her right then left breasts. He kisses her on the lips and says,
‘Blessed Be thy lips, that shall utter the Sacred Names.’
Finally he says, ‘Blessed Be,’ and everyone echoes him.
DRAWING DOWN THE MOON AND
THE CHARGE OF THE GODDESS
Some groups will perform this Rite at every Ritual, others will use it as a method of power raising at Esbats and still others will only perform it at the Major Sabbats. In Drawing Down the Moon, the Goddess is invoked into the Priestess (usually the High Priestess) by the Priest (usually the High Priest), and the words she then speaks (The Charge) are the words of the Goddess. The Charge may be derived from Valiente’s Charge of the Goddess, it may be written by the High Priestess, or the Priestess may speak the words which come to her at the time. In a previous work I attributed the Charge to Gerald Gardner, however, it has since become almost universally believed that his High Priestess Doreen Valiente wrote the original. She wrote several versions and these have been altered and added to by other Witches over the years; the one below is just one of many versions now to be found in the modern Craft. I usually recommend to Priestesses that they should memorize the Charge, even though when the time arrives they may find that other words will come to them.
The Priestess stands with her back to the Altar, preferably facing towards the Moon. The Priest commences by giving her the Five-Fold Kiss (see above).
The Priestess now allows her hands to move slightly away from her sides until they are at the 5 and 7 points of the clock with her palms facing forward. Whilst he continues she should look over his head and focus on allowing the spirit of the Goddess to enter her.
With the forefinger of his strong hand the Priest then touches the Priestess in the sigil of the First Degree: right breast, left breast, womb and right breast, whilst saying,
‘I invoke thee and call upon thee Mighty Mother of us all, bringer of all fruitfulness, by seed and root, by stem and bud, by flower and fruit do I invoke thee to descend upon this the body of thy servant and Priestess.’
He then kneels and, spreading his arms outwards and downwards, says,
‘Hail Aradia, from the Amalthean Horn. Pour forth thy store of love. I lowly bend before thee, I adore thee to the end. With loving sacrifice thy shrine adorn. Thy foot is to my lip.’
He kisses her feet and continues,
‘My prayer upborn upon the rising incense. Then spend thine ancient love O Mighty One, descend to aid me who without thee am forlorn.’
The Priest then rises and faces the group and says,
‘Listen to the words of the Great Mother, she who, of old, was also called among men Artemis, Astarte, Dione, Melusine, Aphrodite, Ceridwyn, Dana, Arianrhod, Isis, Bride and by many other names.’
He then steps to the side and the Priestess, facing the group, raises her arms and delivers the Charge.
THE CHARGE OF THE GODDESS
‘Whenever ye have need of any thing, once in the month and better it be when the Moon is full, then shall ye assemble in some secret place and worship the spirit of me who are Queen of all Witcheries. There shall ye assemble, ye who are fain to learn all sorcery, and yet have not won its deepest secrets. To these I shall teach things that are as 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 name. For mine is the ecstasy of the spirit, and mine is also joy on Earth, for my law is love unto all things. Keep pure your highest ideal, strive ever towards it, let naught stop you, nor turn you aside. For mine is the secret door which opens on to the land of youth, and mine is the cup of the wine of life, and the Cauldron of Ceridwyn, which is the Holy Grail of immortality. For I am the gracious Goddess who giveth the gift of the joy of life unto the heart of man, upon Earth 1 give knowledge of the spirit eternal, and beyond death I give peace and freedom and reunion with those who have gone before. Nor do I demand sacrifice, for behold I am the gracious Mother of all living, and my love is poured out upon the earth. And thou who thinkest to seek for me, know that thy seeking and yearning shall avail thee not, unless thou knowest the mystery, that if that which thou seekest thou findest not within thee, then thou shalt never find it without thee. For behold, I have been with thee from the beginning and I am that which is attained at the end of all desire.’
After the Charge has been delivered the Priestess lowers her arms and crosses them over her breast. She then says, ‘Blessed Be’, which is echoed by the rest of the group.
It is then usual for that Priestess to lead the group in the Raising of Power for the magic which is to be worked. Where Drawing Down the Moon is performed simply for celebration, at one of the Sabbats, it takes place towards the end of the Ritual and is followed by the Rite of Wine and Cakes and the Sabbat Blessing.
At first it may seem that Drawing Down the Moon is something which can only be done within a group, or at the least a partnership; however, this is not the case. The Solitary Witch can also Draw Down the Moon on her or his own. It is best done at the Full Moon and with the Moon in clear sight. After the usual preparation, stand facing the Moon with your arms raised to each side of your head, as in the above Rite. Look directly at the Moon, although if it is very bright you may need to focus just above the Moon to save straining your eyes. As you gaze, visualize the Goddess in all her beauty and strength. In your mind call to her and ask her to join with you, to become part of you. When you feel certain that you can feel her power within you, lower your arms and cross them over your chest. Recite the Charge, either aloud or in your head, and then move on to the remainder of your Ritual. Be sure to remember to ground yourself after your Ritual. Many Witches find that this is a very powerful and energizing Rite and gives them a physical and emotional boost which lasts several days, as well as empowering them to carry out their magic.
RAISING POWER
Whilst raising power is not a Rite in itself, it is an essential part of any Ritual where magic is to be performed. A group will work together to combine their energies in a way whereby the High Priestess can direct that power towards the desired outcome. A Solitary Witch also raises power, and then focuses and directs her or his own energy. Whilst Drawing Down the Moon does raise energy which is then focused in the High Priestess, it is usual to then move on to supplement this power with energy derived from the group as well. There are many ways to raise energy, the most common of which are dance, chant and drumming. Frequently two, or even all three, of these techniques will be used together.
There are other methods such as binding, scourging, astral projection and trance, but these are all techniques which need to be taught on a one-to-one basis.
* Dance. Sometimes called Circle Dance. The actual dance can be as simple or intricate as the group wishes, and may involve snaking around the Circle, or weaving in and out of each other. At its simplest, members of the group, holding hands, dance Deosil around the Circle. They are led by the High Priestess who determines the pace of the dance and the time at which she perceives sufficient energy has been raised. At that point she will raise her arms to indicate that it is time to stop. Some High Priestesses will join in the dance, in which case raising her arms causes everyone else to follow suit. Others will stand in the centre of the dancers. In either case, at the point where she raises her arms, she is directing the energy towards the group’s intent. There is then a pause whilst the energy is directed,