Writing – Pagan Roots

Charge of the Dark God

Listen to the words of the Dark God,
Who was of old called Iakchos, Donn,
Anubis, Hades, Setesh, Hoder,
And by many other names:

I am the shadow in the bright day;
I am the reminder of mortality at the height of living.
I am the neverending veil of Night
Where the Star Goddess dances.
I am the Death that must be so that Life may continue,
For Behold, Life is immortal because the living must die.

The Witches’ Rune

Darksome night, and shining moon,
Hearken to the witches rune,
East then South, West then North,
Hear! Come! I call thee forth,

The Witches’ Creed

Hear now the words of the witches.
The secrets we hid in the night.
When dark was our destiny’s pathway,
that now we bring into the light.

The Wise Goodwife

“Gramma, I feel hot.”
“Lands, child, on a cool fall day like this? Come here and let me feel of your forehead. Tsk! Feels like fever. Off to bed with you!”
“Gramma, I don’t feel good.”
“I know child, I know. I reckon it’s time to ask Goody Hawkins to help us.”
“Who’s Goody Hawkins?”
“Hush now, try to sleep. I’ll come back soon.”

“Gramma, where did you go?”
“Out into the woods at the back of the farm, child.”
“Why, Gramma?”
“To get Goody Hawkins help.”
“Who’s Goody Hawkins?”
“Well, that’s a long story.”
“Tell me a story, Gramma.”

The Wiccan Rede

Bide ye the Wiccan laws ye must, in perfect love and perfect trust,
Ye must live and let live, fairly take and fairly give.
Cast the circle thrice about, to keep unwelcome spirits out,
To bind the spell well every time, let the spell be spoken in rhyme,

The Story of The Fool

The Men and Women were hungry. All about them was the Mother’s bounty, the gift of the Sacred King, and no way to harvest it.

The Fool came, and took of the Earth itself, and mixed it with Water and shaped a Pot. And He took of the Grass, and shaped a Basket, and Nets and Clothing.

And He took wood from the Tree. A straight piece of wood, and he took a stone, the very Bones of the Mother, and shaped it to a point, and fastened it to the wood and made a Spear.

The Cautioning Rede

Listen all and blessed be,
A new rede has come to me.
The rule of three may bring deeds ’round,
But to that trinity we are not bound.
Listen well and use your thoughts,
You may have swallowed more than you bought.

Taffy Is A Welshman

This is another somewhat patriotic inclusion in my collection of poetry and prose, in the same vein as the Welsh national anthem. My grandmother had a large copy of this poem stuck to her kitchen door for years, before giving it to me because I liked it so much. This is something of a reply to the children’s nursery rhyme of the same name, which accuses poor Taffy of pilfering his neighbour’s beef. Here’s how things actually went down in Welsh history…

Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau

My grandmother was a fiercely patriotic lady from the South Wales valleys, and she instilled in me a great sense of pride in my heritage, and a love for and interest in Celtic culture and history. I would be doing less than my patriotic duty if I failed to include the Welsh national anthem in my collection of poetry and prose. You’ll find the words – in both Welsh and English – below the video. Yes, I can sing it. No, you don’t want to hear me try.

Gardnerian Old Laws

[A] The Law was made and Ardane of old. The law was made for the Wicca, to advise and help in their troubles. The Wicca should give due worship to the Gods and obey their will, which they Ardane, for it was made for the good of the Wicca, As the Wicca’s worship is good for the Gods, For the Gods love the Wicca. As a man loveth a woman, by mastering her, so the Wicca should love the Gods, by being mastered by them. And it is necessary that the Circle, which is the Temple of the Gods, should be truly cast and purified, that it may be a fit place for the Gods to enter. And the Wicca should be properly prepared and purified, to enter into the presence of the Gods. With love and worship in their hearts they shall raise power from their bodies to give power to the Gods, as has been taught us of old, For in this way only may man have communion with the Gods, for the Gods cannot help man without the help of men.