The Charge of the Crone - Garrison

The Charge Of The Crone

circa 1998
By Jim Garrison

Hear the words of the Dark Goddess
who stands within the crossroads,
whose torch illuminates the Underworld:

I am the Queen of Magic
and the dark of the Moon,
hidden in the deepest night.

I am the mystery of the Otherworld
and the fear that coils about your heart
in the time of your trials.

I am the soul of nature
that gives form to the universe;
it is I who await you at the
end of the spiral dance.

Most ancient among gods and mortals,
let my worship be within the heart
that has truly tasted life,
for behold all acts of magic and art
are my pleasure
and my greatest ritual
is love itself.

Therefore let there be
beauty in your strength,
compassion in your wrath,
power in your humility,
and discipline balanced
through mirth and reverence.

You who seek to remove my veil
and behold my true face,
know that all your questioning
and efforts are for nothing,
and all your lust and desires
shall avail you not at all.

For unless you know my mystery,
look wherever you will,
it will elude you,
for it is within you
and nowhere else.

For behold,
I have ever been with you,
from the very beginning,
the comforting hand that nurtured you
in the dawn of life,
and the loving embrace that awaits you
at the end of each life,

For I am that which is attained
at the end of the dance,
and I am the womb of new beginnings,
as yet unimagined and unknown.

© 1998 Jim Garrison