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Charge of the Star Goddess
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.
Traditional; poem version by Starhawk
Hymn to Inanna
Lady of all powers,
In whom light appers,
Radiant one
Beloved of Heaven and Earth,
Tiara-crowned
Priestess of the Highest God,
My Lady, you are the guardian
Of all greatness.
Your hand holds the seven powers:
You lift the powers of being,
You have hung them over your fingers,
You have gathered the many powers,
You have clasped them now
Like necklaces onto your breast.Like a dragon,
You poisoned the land--
When you roared at the earth
In your thunder,
Nothing green couild live.
A flood fell from the mountair:
You, Inanna,
Foremost in Heaven and Earth,
Lady riding a beast,
You rained fire on the heads of men.
Taking your power from the Highest,
Following the commands of the Highest,
Lady of all the great rites,
Who can understand all that is yours?In the forefront
Of the battle,
All is struck down by you--
O winged Lady,
Like a bird
You scavenge the land.
Like a charging storm
You charge,
Like a roaring storm,
You roar,
You thunder in thunder,
Snort in rampaging winds.
Your feet are continually restless.
Carrying your harp of sighs,
You breathe out the music of mourning.It was in your service
That I first entered
The holy temple,
I, Enheduanna,
The highest priestess.
I carried the ritual basket,
I chanted your praise.
Now I have been cast out
To the place of lepers.
Day comes,
And the brightness
Is hidden around me.
Shadows cover the light,
Drape it in sandstorms.
My beautiful mouth knows only confusion.
Even my sex is dust.What once was chanted of Nanna,
Let it now be yours--
That you are as lofty as Heaven,
Let it be known!
That you are as wide as the Earth,
Let it be known!
That you devastate the rebellious,
Let it be known!
That you roar at the land,
Let it be known!
That you rain your blows on their heads,
Let it be known!
That you feast on corpses like a dog,
Let it be known!
That your glance is lifting toward them,
Let it be known!
That your grace is like striking lightning,
Let it be known!
That you are victorious,
Let it be known!
That this is not said of Nanna,
It is said of you--
This is your greatness.
You alone are the High One.O my Lady,
Beloved of Heaven,
I have told your fury truly.
Now that her priestess
Has returned to her place,
Inanna's heart is restored.
The day is auspicious,
The priestess is clothed
In beautiful robes,
In womanly beauty,
As if in the light of the rising moon.
The gods have appeared
In their rightful paces,
the doorsill of Heaven cries "Hail!"
Praise to the destroyer endowed with power,
To my Lady enfolded in beauty.
Praise to Inanna.Enheduanna
(earliest author of either sex in world literature)
2300 B.C.E.
That power who is defined as Consciousness in all beings,reverence to Her, reverence to Her, reverence to Her,
reverence, reverence.
That power who is known as Reason in all beings,
reverence to Her, reverence to Her, reverence to Her,
reverence, reverence.
That power who exists in all beings in the form of Sleep,
reverence to Her, reverence to Her, reverence to Her,
reverence, reverence.
That power who exists in all beings as Hunger,
reverence to Her, reverence to Her, reverence to Her,
reverence, reverence.
That power who exists in all beings as Shadow,
reverence to Her, reverence to Her, reverence to Her,
reverence, reverence.
That power who exists in all beings as Energy,
reverence to Her, reverence to Her, reverence to Her,
reverence, reverence.
That power who exists in all beings as Peace,
reverence to Her, reverence to Her, reverence to Her,
reverence, reverence.
That power who exists in all beings as Loveliness,
reverence to Her, reverence to Her, reverence to Her,
reverence, reverence.
That power who exists in all beings as Fortune,
reverence to Her, reverence to Her, reverence to Her,
reverence, reverence.
That power who exists in all beings in the form of Memory,
reverence to Her, reverence to Her, reverence toHer,
reverence, reverence.
That power who exists in all beings as Compassion,
reverence to Her, reverence to Her, reverence to Her,
reverence, reverence.
That power who exists in all beings as Mother,
reverence to Her, reverence to Her, reverence to Her,
reverence, reverence.
from the Devi-Mahatmya
Quoted in Kali, the Feminine Force by Ajit Mookerjee
Woman the Creator Woman is the creator of the universe,
the universe is her form;
woman is the foundation of the world,
she is the true form of the body.
Whatever form she takes,
whether the form of a man or a woman,
is the superior form.
In woman is the form of all things,
of all that lives and moves in the worldThere is no jewel rarer than woman,
no condition superior to that of a woman.
There is not, nor has been, nor will be
any destiny equal to that of a woman;
there is no kingdom, no wealth,
to be compared with a woman;
there is not, nor has been, nor will be
any holy place like unto a woman;
there is no kingdom, no wealth,
to be compared with a woman;
there is not, nor has been, nor will be
any yoga to compare with a woman,
no mystical formula nor asceticism
to match a woman.There are not, nor have been, nor will be
any riches more valuable than woman.Saktisangama Tantra
quoted in Kali, The Feminine Force
To wisdom Wisdom is
sweeter than honey,
brings more joy
than wine,
illumines
more than the sun,
is more precious
than jewels.
She causes
the ears to hear
and the heart to comprehend.I love her
like a mother,
and she embraces me
as her own child.
I will follow
her footprints
and she will not cast me away.Makeda, Queen of Sheba
ca. 1000 B.C.
A Dream of Women once upon a time, there was a dream
a dream of women, a dream of womencoming together and turning the world
around, turning the world around and making it over.
a dream of women, all women being sisters.
a dream of caring; a dream of protection, a dream
of peace.
once upon a time there was a dream
a dream of women, for the women who rejected the
dream, there had only been a reassurance. for the women
who believed the dream--there is dying, women,
sisters dying
once upon a time there was a dream, a dream of women
turning the world all over and it still lives--
it lives for those who would be sisters
it lives for those who need a sister
it lives for those who once upon a time had a dreamPat Parker, 1978
from "I like to think of Harriet Tubman" I like to think of Harriet Tubman.
Harriet Tubman who carried a revolver,
who had a scar on her head from a rock thrown
by a slave-master (because she
talked back), and whohad a ransom on her head
of thousands of dollars and who
was never caught, and who
had no use for the law
when the law was wrong,
who defied the law. I like
to think of her.
I like to think of her especially when I think of the problem of feeding children.I want them to think about Harriet Tubman,
and remember,
remember she was beat by a white man
and she lived
and she lived to redress her grievances,and she lived in swamps
and wore the clothes of a man
bringing hundreds of fugitives fromslavery, and was never caught,
and led an army,
and won a battle,
and defied the laws
because the laws were wrong, I want men
to take us seriously I am tired wanting them to think
about right and wrong.
I want them to fear.
I want them to feel fear now
as I have felt suffering in the womb, and
I want them
to know
that there is always a time
there is always a time to make right
what is wrong,
there is always a time
for retribution
and that time
is beginning.Susan Griffin
Kuan YinHer knowledge fills out the four virtues,
Her wisdom suffuses her golden body.
Her necklace is hung with pearls and precious jade,
Her bracelet is composed of jewels.
Her hair is like dark clouds wondrously coiffured like curling dragons;
Her embroidered girdle sways like a phoenix wing in flight.Sea-green jade buttons,
A gown of pure silk,
Awash with Heavenly light;
Eyebrows as if crescent moons,
Eyes like stars.
A radiant jade face of divine joyfulness,
Scarlet lips, a splash of color.
Her bottle of Heavenly dew overflows,
Her willow twig rises from it in full flower.
She delivers from all the eight terrors,
Saves all living beings,
For boundless is her compassion.
She resides on T'ai Shan,
She dwells in the Southern Ocean,
She saves all the suffering when their cries reach her,
She never fails to answer their prayers,
Eternally divine and wonderful.from Kuan Yin
by Martin Palmer and Jay Ramsay with Man-Ho Kwok.
Children's Prayer Here is a prayer I revised for my 4 year old daughter and I to say every night before I kiss her good night and blow out the candle:
From my head to my feet I am the image of the Goddess, From my heart to my hands I feel the breath of the Goddess,
When I speak with my mouth I will follow the Goddess' will.
When I see the Goddess in my Mother and in my Father,
In all dear people,In animals and in flowers,
In trees and in stones,
No fear shall I feel,
But love will fill me
For everything around me.
BLESSED BE.
Offered by Connie Vondra-Lee, Rohnert Park, California
Go to Offerings
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