Episode Four - A Ritual for the Earth

Greetings, Fellow Travelers, and welcome to Episode 4 of the Magical Earth Quadcast.

This is our first "betwixt and between the Sabbats" episode. Hope you enjoy it. Our next episode will be out around Imbolc.

Thanks to everyone who has downloaded and listened and passed on a recommendation to a friend about The Magical Earth. We are at over 1500 downloads of our first three episodes, and over 2100 downloads if you count our "call for Yule blessings" and "Happy 2009" soundsquibs. We thank you - thank you - thank you - for the kind words, the emails, and the comments.

Episode Four - And Now, for something completely different.

Some Background is in Order:
On our discussion group Communitas Paganus, I (Susan) am posting poetry appropriate to certain days of the year, mostly so far taken from a book called Earth Prayers, a collection of prayers, blessings, poetry, scripture from many Traditions all centered around the Earth. I found a segment that was credited to The United Nations Environmental Sabbat Service - and as I dug deeper - and found the entire ritual - I knew we had to do "something" with it.

In a Public Ritual Jacinthe and I had done several years ago as part of a fundraising initiative for the victims of the Tsunami of 2005, we had encountered a piece of sacred writing called the Chinook Psalter, and now found a slightly different version of it as part of the site hosting the UN Sabbat Service. There was also a blessingway prayer that we liked as well on the same site, so we included that also.

We wrapped these three pieces within the framework of the Gaiaist Wiccan Liturgy, making few modifications for flow and consistency within the construction of our sacred space. The Gaiaist Wiccan Liturgy evolved from the Spirit-Haven Liturgy, both written by Susan Hurrell and Jacinthe Labbe and workshoped since 1993 in numerous private and public circles.

So - to begin the New Calendar Year, and in anticipation of Earth Hour 2009, we start our year with a ritual to take responsibility for the state of the Earth, and to honor the Earth, Gaia who gives us life, and all of her creatures.

We invite you to join with us - light candles at the Quarters if you wish, and to share in this sacred rite.


"The Greeting" written by Ralph Blum (The Book of Runes)
I honor your gods, I drink at your well. I bring an undefended heart to our meeting place. I will not negotiate by withholding. I have no cherished outcomes. I am not subject to disappointment.

The Gaiast Wiccan Ritual Liturgy for Creation of Sacred Space

The Self-Blessing
We are one with Universal Energy, for we are its creation. It is our eyes, and we see clearly. It is our ears, and we hear with discernment. It is our mouths, and we speak truth. It is our hands, and we do sacred work. It is our hearts, and we give and receive love. It is our feet, and we move forward on our journey. And so it is.


Calling the Elemental Compass
From the East, we receive clarity, which we transform into ideas. We are one with the Air, the breath of life.

From the South, we receive passion, which we transform into activity. We are one with the Fire, the passions of life.

From the West, we receive emotion, which we transform into responsibility. We are one with the Water, the flow that connects all life.

From the North, we receive stability, which we transform into accomplishment. We are one with the Earth, Gaia who gives us life.

From the Center, we receive grounding, which we transform into tranquility. We are a part of the circle of life.

From heart to heart and hand to hand, we are one people, serving Gaia.


The Invocations
She appears with the moon rise, as She returns to light the night sky
with her ever changing face and its silver light of mystery.

He appears with the sunrise, as He returns to light the new dawning day
and warm the world with His golden rays of power.

Her potential is wisdom. Her power is emotion.

His potential is strength. His power is passion.

Reborn each night from darkness is
She who brings forth hope and mystery.

Returning each morning from darkness is
He who is our single source of light and life.

Her womb brings forth regeneration
in the never ending cycle of birth, death and rebirth.

His seed brings forth new beginnings
in the never ending cycle of birth, death and rebirth.

For Holy is the Great Goddess,
Maiden, Mother, Crone.

For Holy is the Great God,
Youth, Father, Sage.

Let now the blessings of the Great Moon Mother descend.

Let now the blessings of the Great Sun Father descend.

Become One and Unite within this sacred space.

The United Nations Environmental Sabbath Service

From “Only One Earth,” a United Nations Environment Program publication for “Environmental Sabbath/Earth Rest Day,” June 1990; UN Environment Program, DC2-803 United Nations, New York, NY 10017.

A Call to Prayer
We who have lost our sense and our senses –
our touch, our smell, our vision of who we are;
we who frantically force and press all things,
without rest for body or spirit, hurting our earth and injuring ourselves:
we call a halt.

We want to rest.
We need to rest and allow the earth to rest.
We need to reflect and to rediscover the mystery that lives in us,
that is the ground of every unique expression of life,
the source of the fascination that calls all things to communion.

We declare a Sabbath, a space of quiet:
for simple being and letting be;
for recovering the great, forgotten truths;
for learning how to live again.


A Prayer of Awareness
Today we know of the energy that moves all things:
the oneness of existence,
the diversity and uniqueness of every moment of creation,
every shape and form,
the attraction, the allurement, the fascination that all things have for one another.

Humbled by our knowledge,
chastened by surprising revelations, with awe and reverence
we come before the mystery of life.


A Prayer of Sorrow
We have forgotten who we are.

We have forgotten who we are.
We have alienated ourselves from the unfolding of the cosmos.
We have become estranged from the movements of the earth.
We have turned our backs on the cycles of life.

We have forgotten who we are.
We have sought only our own security.
We have exploited simply for our own ends.
We have distorted our knowledge. We have abused our power.

We have forgotten who we are.
Now the land is barren.
And the waters are poisoned.
And the air is polluted.

We have forgotten who we are.
Now the forests are dying.
And the creatures are disappearing.
And the humans are despairing.

We have forgotten who we are.
We ask forgiveness.
We ask for the gift of remembering.
We ask for the strength to change.


(the ritual calls for a time of meditative silence) Musical Interlude by Marc Gunn entitled 'Song of Assisi' and can be found on the Podsafe Music Network


A Prayer of Healing
We join with the earth and with each other.
To bring new life to the land.
To restore the waters.
To refresh the air.

We join with the earth and with each other.
To renew the forests.
To care for the plants.
To protect the creatures

We join with the earth and with each other.
To celebrate the seas.
To rejoice the sunlight.
To sing the song of the stars

We join with the earth and with each other.
To recall our destiny.
To renew our spirits.
To reinvigorate our bodies

We join with the earth and with each other.
To create the human community.
To promote justice and peace.
To remember our children

We join together as many and diverse expressions
of one loving mystery:
for the healing of the earth and the renewal of all life.


A Prayer of Gratitude
We rejoice in all life.
We live in all things.
All things live in us

We rejoice in all life.
We live by the sun.
We move with the stars

We rejoice in all life.
We eat from the earth.
We drink from the rain.
We breathe from the air

We rejoice in all life.
We share with the creatures.
We have strength through their gifts

We rejoice in all life.
We depend on the forests.
We have knowledge through their secrets

We rejoice in all life.
We have the privilege of seeing and understanding.
We have the responsibility of caring.
We have the joy of celebrating.

We rejoice in all life.
We are full of the grace of creation.
We are graceful. We are grateful.

The Chinook Psalter (adaptation)

We call upon the earth, our planet home,
with its beautiful depths and soaring heights,
its vitality and abundance of life,
and together we ask that it
Teach us, and show us the way.

We call upon the mountains, the Cascades and the Olympics,
the high green valleys and meadows filled with wild flowers,
the snows that never melt, the summits of intense silence,
and we ask that they
Teach us, and show us the way.

We call upon the waters that rim the ear, horizon to horizon,
that flow in our rivers and streams,
that fall upon our gardens and fields,
and we ask that they
Teach us, and show us the way.

We call upon the land which grows our food,
the nurturing soil, the fertile fields,
the abundant gardens and orchards,
and we ask that they
Teach us, and show us the way.

We call upon the forests, the great trees
reaching strongly to the sky
with the earth in their roots and the heavens in their branches,
the fir and the pine and the cedar,
and we ask them to
Teach us, and show us the way.

We call upon the creatures of the fields and forests and the seas,
our brothers and sisters the wolves and deer,
the eagle and dove,
the great whales and the dolphin,
the beautiful Orca and salmon who share our Northwest home,
and we ask them to
Teach us, and show us the way.

We call upon the moon and the stars and the sun,
who govern the rhythms and seasons of our lives
and remind us that we are part of a great and wondrous universe,
and we ask them to
Teach us, and show us the way.

We call upon all those who have lived on this earth,
our ancestors and our friends,
who dreamed the best for future generation,
and upon whose lives our lives are built,
and with thanksgiving, we call upon them to
Teach us, and show us the way.

And lastly,
we call upon all that we hold most sacred,
the presence and power of the Great Spirit of love and truth
which flows through all the universe
to be with us to
Teach us, and show us the way.

Litany of Six Directions (adapted)
(Source unknown; inspired by a traditional Native American blessing.)

We turn to the West for a blessing to the Spirit of Shalom, Peace:
make us whole, make us holy,
help us to love You and one another with our whole heart,
our whole mind, our whole being, we pray: Empower us, Spirit of the West

We turn to the North for a blessing to the Spirit of Integrity:
give us Your strength and the courage
to endure all the problems we may face, we pray
Empower us, Spirit of the North

We turn to the East for a blessing, to the Spirit of Illumination:
open our eyes to the sacredness of every living thing, we pray
Empower us, Spirit of the East

We turn to the South for a blessing, to the Spirit of Transformation:
help us to grow in wisdom and grace and the goodness of the ages, we pray
Empower us, Spirit of the South

We look to the Heavens, to the Spirit of Openness:
fill us with a breadth of vision to see that Your love embraces all, we pray
Empower us, Spirit of the Great Sky Father

We touch the Earth for a blessing,
and thereby touch the Spirit which lives among us and within us:
help us to be more human
and to praise you through the work of our hands, we pray
Empower us, Spirit of the Great Earth Mother

Let us go from here blessed and renewed
in the Spirit of Peace,
in the Spirit of Integrity,
in the Spirit of Illumination,
in the Spirit of Transformation,
with hopes lifted high to the heavens
and with hearts loving the earth
in the name of our loving, creating, nurturing divine presence,
no mater what names we use to call its presence and power into our lives.

And so it is.

The Devocations

She appears with the moon rise, as She returns to light the night sky
with her ever changing face and its silver light of mystery.

He appears with the sunrise, as He returns to light the new dawning day
and warm the world with His golden rays of power.

Her potential is wisdom.
Her power is emotion.

His potential is strength.
His power is passion.

Reborn each night from darkness is
She who brings forth hope and mystery.

Returning each morning from darkness is
He who is our single source of light and life.

Her womb brings forth regeneration
in the never ending cycle of birth, death and rebirth.

His seed brings forth new beginnings
in the never ending cycle of birth, death and rebirth.

For Holy is the Great Goddess,
Maiden, Mother, Crone.

For Holy is the Great God,
Youth, Father, Sage.

We give thanks for the blessings of the Great Moon Mother.

We give thanks for the blessings of the Great Sun Father.

As we prepare to depart from this sacred space

Releasing the Elemental Compass
We honor our transformation, and thank the Centre for tranquility.
May we remain one with the Centre, and learn from all the directions.

We honor our accomplishments, and thank the North for stability.
May we remain one with the Earth, Gaia who gives us life.

We honor our responsibilities, and thank the West for emotion.
May we remain one with the Water, the flow that connects all life.

We honor our activity, and thank the South for passion.
May we remain one with the Fire, the fuel that empowers life.

We honor our ideas, and thank the East for clarity.
May we remain one with the Air, the breath of life.

From heart to heart and hand to hand - (repeat as needed) - The Circle is Open, but Unbroken. Know the Mystery of the Unbroken Circle.

Bide the Wiccan Law we must, in perfect love and perfect trust. These words the Wiccan Rede fulfill - and ye harm none, do what you will. Lest in they self-defense it be, every mind there one law be. Honor this with mind and heart, for Merry we meet, merry we part, and merry we meet again.



AfterChat

Last year members of the Gaiaist Wiccan Tradition here in Winnipeg got very involved in promoting Earth Hour and held an event and open ritual at our Temple Space. This year, Earth Hour is Saturday March 28th, with the hour of darkness being from 8:30 to 9:30 pm local time. We are discussing using this as the ritual, in candlelight at our Temple space.

We invite any local people to contact us for details, or to attend that event. Details will be found on a Facebook Event Page for Earth Hour Winnipeg - and we also have an Earth Hour Winnipeg Group on Facebook. Join us there.

We also invite and encourage "you" to celebrate Earth Hour by joining with us in energy, and hosting an Open Circle or Private Event to perform the United Nations Earth Sabbat Ritual at 8:30 pm your local time on March 28th. Please use your own circle casting or sacred Liturgy - however you wish to create sacred space is entirely up to you - that magick will be in sharing the words of power in the Prayer of Awareness, the Prayer of Sorrow, The Prayer of Healing, and the Prayer of Gratitude, followed by the Chinook Psalter, and the Litany of the 6 Directions.

We love to help support and promote your efforts "everywhere" to make this a sacred event to honor Our Mother Earth. Join our Facebook Earth Hour Group (you don't have to be from Winnipeg) and or find a group for your location (or start one!) and email us to let us know what you are doing in your circle, grove, clan, tribe, coven or Tradition.

Find ways to spread the word to family, friends, your workplaces, where you shop, wherever you go - ask them how they will be celebrating Earth Hour. Write your political representatives to ask what their commitment is in supporting Earth Hour. Let's make this a bigger event than last year - and increase our commitment to stewardship of the Earth's resources.

Until our Paths cross again,

Walk softly .....