May 2020 - in lieu of Beltane - using Silver Spiral's standard ritual format 2.2. Performed virtually on May 2, 2020, for a group of 5 people.
Materials and Tools:
Each participant will need a phone, tablet, or laptop signed in to our virtual ritual space. Each participant will also need a singing bowl, a goblet with drink of choice (athame optional), a food offering of choice, and an offering plate or bowl. Each person will also have two vessels (glasses, jars, bowls, etc.) in front of them, one of them full of some small object to move from one vessel to the other (rocks, marbles, puzzle pieces, coins, pompoms, crayons, etc.). The objects should be something that's not too hard for participants to get a grip on - it shouldn't be frustrating to pick them up one by one.
The ritual leader will also need a short (3 to 5 minutes) time lapse sunset video that goes to complete darkness and a similar sunrise video that starts in darkness. Suggest that the ritual leader have two devices: one for their face and script and one to show primarily the altar and switch to the videos.
Advance Information
To take out the awkwardness of trying to speak simultaneously through a conference call, which doesn’t work well, we all learned the ASL sign for “blessed be” as taken from this video: Blessed Be the Name of the Lord.
Reference Materials
Preparation:
Gather everyone within the virtual ritual space.
Land acknowledgement
Before we begin, I would like for us to take a moment to acknowledge that this ritual is taking place on the traditional unceded territories of the Musqueam, Tsleil-Waututh, Kwikwetlem and Squamish Nations, as well as of the First Peoples of the hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓ (hun-ki-meen-um) language group. I ask that we take a moment to reflect on this fact and to acknowledge that we bring our beliefs and spirits to this place in concert with those that were here before.
A moment of quiet reflection will end with the leader ringing their singing bowl.
Consent acknowledgement
We stand where we are as empowered and free individuals. We are each able to make our own choices about coming to this circle, about staying in this circle, and about how to participate in the ritual. You may leave at any time and for any reason, return whenever you want, and sit out any activity. We ask of each other only that we don’t interfere with the experience of other participants.
Each participant in turn (order: East, South, West, North, and Centre) visualizes both their physical space and the virtual space being cleansed and says:
With purpose and intent, I cleanse this space.
Everyone closes their eyes while the ritual leader leads the breathing meditation:
Breathe... [Pause for full breath in and full breath out.] Breathe... [Pause for full breath in and full breath out.] Breathe... [Pause for full breath in and full breath out.] Feel the ground beneath you. [Pause for full breath in and full breath out.] Feel the air around you. [Pause for full breath in and full breath out.] Come home to your body. [Pause for full breath in and full breath out.] Prepare to enter sacred space. Blessed be.
All sign: Blessed be.
Building Sacred Space:
All participants pick up their singing bowl.
Casting the Circle
Everyone will participate in casting the Circle. Everyone silently mouths the words along with the second sentence and the person casting that element will ringing their singing bowl when they are done.
East: We cast this circle in honour of Air. We cast this circle in honour of Air to create and open sacred space.
South: We cast this circle in honour of Fire. We cast this circle in honour of Fire to create and open sacred space.
West: We cast this circle in honour of Water. We cast this circle in honour of Water to create and open sacred space.
North: We cast this circle in honour of Earth. We cast this circle in honour of Earth to create and open sacred space.
Centre: We cast this circle in honour of Spirit. We cast this circle in honour of Spirit to create and open sacred space.
Ritual leader: The space is set. The circle is cast. Blessed Be.
All sign: Blessed be.
Calling the Quarters
The ritual leader will light candles on her altar as we call.
East: To the East, I send this call: Air, bless us with your gifts of fresh spring breezes that carry the scent of cherry blossoms as we celebrate every day. Blessed be.
All sign: Blessed be.
Fire: To the South, I send this call: Fire, bless us with your gifts of the warm sun on our skin and on the new green plants as we celebrate every day. Blessed be.
All sign: Blessed be.
West: To the West, I send this call: Water, bless us with your gifts of the soaking spring rains and the sound of the drops striking our roofs as we celebrate every day. Blessed be.
All sign: Blessed be.
North: To the North, I send this call: Earth, bless us with your gifts of spring leaves bright green on our plates and on our tongues as we celebrate every day. Blessed be.
All sign: Blessed be.
Centre: To the Centre, I send this call: Spirit, bless us with your gifts of the experience of spring as we celebrate every day. Blessed be.
All sign: Blessed be.
Invocations
East: Lady of our quiet moments, Goddesses of our tribes, we invite you to our rite. Blessed Be.
All sign: Blessed be.
Centre: Lord of our labours and work, Gods of our tribes, we invite you to our rite. Blessed Be.
All sign: Blessed be.
Ritual Centre:
Everyone places their two vessels in front of them and begin to move the objects from one vessel to the other, one object at a time. If they empty one vessel, they start moving the objects back again.
Ritual leader:
We don't know exactly what Sisyphus did to be condemned. Some say he tattled on Zeus, gaining material wealth and happiness for himself and his people at the cost of the god’s wrath. Others say that he kidnapped Death, then cheated him.
Whatever his crimes, what he is famous for is how he was punished. After his death, he was condemned in the underworld to roll a boulder up a hill. At the end of every day, just as the boulder would reach the top of the hill, it would roll back down and he would have to start at the bottom again.
Day after day, week after week, month after month, year after year, he pushes the heavy boulder up the hill over and over again.
Day after day, week after week, month after month, year after year, he pushes the boulder and he knows that his labour will never be done.
Day after day, week after week, month after month, year after year, he labours and he knows that it is for nothing - he makes no real progress, he attains no goals, he achieves nothing of permanence.
The boulder is so heavy that Sisyphus doesn’t have the energy to think as he pushes it up the hill. All he can do is toil and struggle. He focuses on each step, each moment, and he continues. Every day, from sunrise to sunset, is taken with the work he must do.
Play the sunset video. When the video ends, everyone stops moving their objects from one vessel to the other.
When the sun has set, gravity takes the boulder and Sisyphus is briefly free from his labours.
At the end of the day, when the boulder rolls down the hill, Sisyphus only has to walk down the hill after it. In that time, he can think and he can imagine. This gives him the time to re-imagine his toils. The boulder and the hill become his art. He takes ownership of his meaningless task. In this way, he defeats the punishment that he cannot change or escape.
But he would not be able to do this without his quiet walk down the hill.
What is your walk down the hill?
Play the sunrise video. When the sun becomes visible over the horizon, everyone circles their singing bowl and focuses on raising energy until the ritual leader rings their singing bowl three times.
Food and Drink:
Each participant holds their plate of food and West says:
By the Divine, these offerings are blessed, and we share this food in the spirit of community.
Each person offers some of the their food to their offering bowl and West says:
To the gods and goddesses of our tribes. Blessed be.
West says:
May we never hunger. Blessed be.
Everyone eats some of their food.
Each participant holds their goblet (with athame or not) and South says:
As the athame is to the lover, so the chalice is to the loved, and joined they are one in truth.
Each person offers some of their drink to their offering bowl and South says:
To the gods and goddesses of our tribes. Blessed be.
South says:
May we never thirst. Blessed be.
Everyone drinks.
Closing the Ritual:
Devocations
Centre: Lord of our labours and work, Gods of our tribes, thank you for your blessings. Go in peace. Blessed be.
All sign: Blessed be.
East: Lady of our quiet moments, Goddesses of our tribes, thank you for your blessings. Go in peace. Blessed be.
All sign: Blessed be.
Thanking the Quarters
Centre: To the Centre: Spirit, thank you for your gifts. Go in peace. Blessed be.
All sign: Blessed be.
North: To the North: Earth, thank you for your gifts. Go in peace. Blessed be.
All sign: Blessed be.
West: To the West: Water, thank you for your gifts. Go in peace. Blessed be.
All sign: Blessed be.
South: To the South: Fire, thank you for your gifts. Go in peace. Blessed be.
All sign: Blessed be.
East: To the East: Air, thank you for your gifts. Go in peace. Blessed be.
All sign: Blessed be.
Taking Down the Circle
Each participant picks up their singing bowl again. We will all take down the Circle together by each ringing our signing bowl in turn. The order will be: Centre, North, West, South, and East.
Ritual leader: The Circle is open, but unbroken. Merry meet, merry part, and merry meet again!