The Charge of the God

The Charge of the God is a piece of text which is generally regarded as being the God's message to his people.  There are many versions of The Charge of the God - and all of them are perfectly acceptable. 

  

There are many uses for the Charge of the God - you could incorporate it into your rituals (said at the beginning in order to 'set the mood') or as a Daily Devotion.  If you find a 'Charge' which really inspires you, you could use it specifically for this purpose, frame it to hang above your altar, embroider it onto your altar cloth, carry a copy in your purse, etc.

  

No one Charge is any more valid than another and you could use any that you wish .... or write your own.  Perhaps you feel that the God would have said something differently, or that this Charge has something missing, then add it!  When I dedicated to my Patron Deities (Hecate and Cernunnos) I wrote a whole new Charge dedicated to each of them (they also interlink and are mentioned in each others).  These new Charges are now the ones that I always use.  Below you will find a one of the many versions of the Charge of the God.

  

The Charge of the God

  

         Listen now to the words of the God.  He, who of old, was called Zeus, Herne, Tammuz, Apollo, Cernnunos, Lugh, Osiris, Dionysos, and many other names. He who is the Horned-One.  He who is the Mother-Son and Mother-Lover. He who dies and is reborn.  "I who am the companion of the Lady and child of the Mother; I who am he who lives and dies and lives again, do call on you to know me as I am, for in doing so you will know yourself. I am King Stag, Horned-One, Lord of the Hunt. I am passion and pleasure and pursuit. I am wild but not violent; free but not uncontrolled. Know me as I am and hear ye the charge I place before you. That you may love whom thou wilt but neglect not those whom you owe fidelity and loyalty. That you think, say and do as thou wilt so long as you harm no other nor bring harm unto thyself.  And, I, who am One with She that is All, do charge you to be one with those whom you love, for all your acts of love and joy and pleasure are rituals unto Us. I, who am He that lives, dies and lives again, do charge you to know my ages and to honor them through the passing of seasons and the turning of the year.
          Know me in the winter as I am born and begin to grow. Celebrate my birth.  Know me in the Spring as the earth comes to life and I am the Hunt.  Celebrate new beginnings and growth. Know me in the Summer as nature is fulfilled and I am wedded to She with whom I am everything.  Celebrate love. Know me in the Autumn as you gather the harvest and I am fulfilled through death from which comes life. Celebrate transformation.  Know me as I am. He who lives and dies and lives again and celebrate in me the turning of the wheel. Understand my mystery for I am Son of the Mother and Consort to the Lady. I am my own father, born of my own death, as you must also die that you may be reborn.  For I am one with she that is all and you are one with us!"