Wiccan Rede * Winter 1982 by Rowan Fairgrove
In the beginning the Goddess danced. And as she danced, the universe took form about her. She called forth spiral galaxies with her pirouettes, and left trails of newly created matter in her wake. After her dance was done, she took unto herself the form of a rowan tree to rest and contemplate her creation. Many ages passed by and still she stood in her contemplation. Matter, once created, interacted with itself and more complex combinations of matter emerged.
One day a new music was heard in the cosmos. There came a dancing capering figure of a goat-man-god, playing his pipes as he moved through creation. The Lady shook off her tree- form and stood watching his approach. When he was very near to her, they smiled, and very slowly they began to dance in time. Their dance took them throughout all creation and lasted for a very long time. When at last the dance ended, the Lady betook upon herself her tree-form and settled down. The lord took on the form of reeds and settled down beside the waters to sleep.
When many ages had passed, our Lady bore upon her branches white flowers which sang softly in the wind. In time these flowers turned to red berries which ripened and fell to the ground. As each berry struck the ground it was transformed, for each berry held the soul of an independent being. Some of the berries became trees, others fish, others birds, reptiles, and mammals, others had shapes which we have not yet seen . When the last berry had fallen, our Lady shed her tree- form and passed among the reeds and our Lord appeared again as he had before. Together they began a new dance with all of the newborn souls so that they could learn the measure and the balance, the rhythm and the timing, and the divine harmony.
And as All danced they seemed to know that this Dance is eternal, and the cycle of the tree- flower-berry will come again as she calls each soul back and blooms it forth to take its place in the dance once again.
