The Moon rides high in the sky as Her light floods down bathing me in her embrace. I stand in the cold, cloak wrapped around my body with feet planted firmly on Earth. I breathe in deeply taking in the energy of the air around me and lifting arms, fingers stretching up to hold the orb of milky whiteness, I begin my devotional esbat in honor of the Star Goddess and call to Her with words of invocation….

Charge of the Star Goddess

Listen to the words of the Great Mother, she who of old has been called Artemis,
Astarte, Dione, Melusine, Cerridwen, Diana and by many other names:
“Whenever you have need of anything, once in the month, and better it be when
the moon is full, then shall ye assemble in some secret place to adore the spirit of Me,
who am Queen of all the Wise. You shall be free from slavery, and as a sign that
ye be free, you shall sing, dance, feast, make music and love, all in My praise.
For Mine is the ecstasy of the spirit, but Mine also is joy on Earth.
My law is love unto all beings. Mine is the secret door that opens
upon the land of youth, and Mine is the cup of the wine of life,
that is the Cauldron of Cerridwen, that is the Holy Grail of Immortality.
I give the knowledge of the spirit eternal, and beyond death, I give peace,
freedom and reunion with those who have gone before.
Nor do I demand aught in sacrifice, for behold, I am the Mother of all things,
and My love is poured out upon the Earth.”

Hear now the words of the Star Goddess, the dust of whose feet are the hosts of Heaven,
whose body encircles the universe:

“I who am the beauty of the green earth, and the white moon among the stars,
do call upon your souls…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 rejoiceth, 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 thy seeking and yearning will avail thee not, unless thou knowest this mystery:
that if that which you seek you findest not within thee, you will never find it without,
for behold – I have been with thee from the beginning, and I am that which is attained
at the end of desire.”

A Form of Devotional

The Charge of the Goddess is the quintessential devotional offered to the Goddess. The Charge was found in the Gardnerian Book of Shadows and is attributed to Doreen Valiente. Over the years the Charge has been adapted and there are now several versions.

The Charge is often used as the invocation to the Goddess during most Esbat rituals. An Esbat is the time of working Lunar Magick within a ritual setting. It is during these ceremonies and rituals that we seek to connect with the energies of the moon, her phases and the gifts that each brings. These rituals could include:

Rites of Healing
Divination
Rites of New Growth and deeper awareness

Working with the Moon and her phases are part of the Natural cycle that is used in the Craft of the Witch. We draw from the energy of the Goddess as represented in her various forms of Maiden, Mother and Crone and see these in manifest form as New, Full and Dark Moons.

Given all of the diverse energy and mystery surrounding the Moon is it any wonder that its greater mysteries are used to enhance sacred work. Dancing around a fire on a moon lit night, moving to the beat of drums is the nearest one can come to being totally absorbed into the Natural world.

If we also work with the energy of the planets, a rite held on a MON-day would correspond with the energy of the Moon. A moon phase in the sign of Cancer would add additional lunar energy as the astrological sign of Cancer is ruled by the MOON.

Another devotional that could be used in your lunar workings is:

The Liber Vel Hecate

The Liber Vel Hecate was developed based upon the model of the Liber Resh Vel Helios . It comprises the phases of the Moon and the many and varied names and pantheons that honor the Goddess in her power as Queen of the Heavens. This could be used as invocation or devotional during an Esbat.

The Liber Vel Hecate