An inspirational and instructional recitation and instruction repeated by the High Priestess manifesting the Goddess in some
Pagan rituals. It was derived from sources both ancient and modern, especially from the works of
Aleister Crowley and the book
Aradia, or the Gospel of the Witches by Charles Godfrey Leland. The earliest version was compiled by
Gerald Gardner, arguable the founder of modern
Wicca, but the more popular versions, both in prose and verse, were created from Gardner’s work by
Doreen Valiente. Several variations have appeared over the years.