Equality and Pluralism in the Divine Embodied:
An Exegesis of The Charge of the Goddess Part II.

by Kila

In the previous edition of Matrifocus, I began an exegisis of The Charge of the Goddess written by Doreen Valiente. This article is the second part of that four-part effort to interpret one of our most famous texts. Once again, I urge readers to read the Charge, to think about its depths, and to use it as one guide in shaping our ethics because it is a rich source even though it is comparatively short. In the following verses, we see that the Charge is liberational in its intent and that although it is the voice of the Goddess speaking, it places in each of us power as our own spiritual authorities.

Continuing on then, we come to the third verse:

You shall be free from slavery, and as a sign that you be free you shall be naked in your rites. Sing, feast, dance make music and love, all in My presence, for Mine is the ecstasy of spirit and Mine also is the joy on earth. For my law is love unto all beings.

The first sentence of this verse is remarkable because it states with such clarity that those of us who follow the Goddess "shall be free." Perhaps we are not now free, but the ultimate aim of all Goddess thealogy and practice is freedom from the constraints of patriarchy. It is also about freedom from those constraints we place upon ourselves.

The second part of this sentence has often been used to impress on pagans the need for sky-clad rituals. While I have nothing against how practitioners dress or don't dress at ritual, this ought not to be taken as an imperative. Digging deeper into the meaning, one might argue that we come wearing many guises. We wear masks and armor particularly in gatherings. We wear wounds and experiences from the past, we wear identities that have been fashioned for us by societies, marks of superiority, inferiority like race, gender and class, physical differences. What does it mean to shed these "garments"? I would suggest that what is being urged here is not the physical removal of clothing — though that is one option — but rather a shedding of armor, of protections that we carry to survive in the world. Standing in ritual naked of our shells or masks lets us be truly who we are. This line then becomes more about our authentic selves rather than about our physical dress.

In ritual, we are told to sing, feast, make music and love. These are all activities that make us joyful in spirit and present in our bodies. (As a quick aside, let me note that in this verse we have a reclamation of sex as a ritual tool. This is a radical departure from both classical and modern ideas about sex.) There is a balance here between being in our heads and being in our bodies and a recognition that we cannot reach that place of ecstatic union with the Goddess without that balance. It has long been recognized that a part of mysticism is union with the Divine that then translates, if you will, to an understanding that all beings are one and therefore there must be union with all beings. In the Charge, we find a similar understanding. First comes freedom to be who we really are, to love ourselves; then comes a balancing of body and mind; next there is union with Goddess; and finally that union results in love unto all beings. This is an indication of the ecstatic nature of Goddess worship that cannot be captured in rote ritual, liturgy or a codification of dogma. Ecstasy and Freedom (from slavery) are dramatically opposed to such rigidities.

The next verse continues the theme of ecstasy and mystery:

Mine is the secret that opens upon the door of youth, and Mine is the cup of life that is the Cauldron of Ceridwen, which is the holy grail of immortality. I give 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 for sacrifice, for behold, I am the Mother of all things and My love is poured upon the earth.

What are the door of youth, the holy grail of immortality, and the spirit eternal? This verse can be very puzzling, particularly because it reminds one of Christian liturgy and theology. Christ as the savior gives life everlasting. Is this similar? I would argue that all religions, except Buddhism, tend to support a belief in the eternal nature of spirit. Here we are told that once we begin an ecstatic relationship to Spirit, we are timeless in a sense. We are aware of our immortal nature as part of the Divine. The Goddess is the cup of life from which we drink and become aware; we are given the "knowledge of the spirit eternal." And beyond our physical presence on earth, there is a place of rest and freedom and reunion with those that have gone before. We are once again part of the great spirit that flows through all beings.

The final line is about what we need to do for the Goddess in order to receive the riches of Her bounty. And the answer is truly amazing: Nothing. We do not need to perform sacrifices or do anything specifically for Her. But doing nothing also does not get us beyond our current states of awareness. The previous verses clearly indicate that there must be some practice in order to reach that deep well of ecstasy. At the same time, it is clear that that practice is for our benefit, not Hers. Her love is unconditional, the very canvas upon which we, the art, are created. But in order to see that canvas, in order to comprehend our existence beyond that of our own physical experience, we are required to practice the arts that have been given us by the Goddess.

I note here that the Goddess is often seen as a Mother. But I would suggest not anthropomorphizing Her too much. Worldly mothers vary in their love for their children and there is no "romanticized" notion that fits well with a transcendent yet immanent being. I suggest here that we consider Her as the generative force in the worlds. That is how She is speaking in the Charge. She can also be a destructive force, as we know, but here we are to consider her as the Source of benevolent creative energy. It is the same energy that we raise in our rituals and it is the same ecstatic current that flows through us when we truly become connected to the deep flow of being.

In the next issue, I will continue the journey. In the meanwhile, I hope that I have given readers something to think about during the Beltane season, a season that is a celebration of ecstasy and fruitfulness. As the earth warms, and we feel the sap rising in us all, it is my hope that we will connect more deeply to that lifeblood energy that holds us all in this wonderful cauldron of life.

Graphics Credits