2 posts tagged “ceremony”
RAINMAKER’S PRAYERS, Align with Global Harmony
CHAPTERS:
Prayer: “Communion with the divine is a deeply personal and mysterious experience…Some chant their prayers and some dance their prayers and some paint or perform or swim their prayers.” Sherry Ruth Anderson & Patricia Hopkins, The Feminine Face of God.
Ceremony: “Ceremony—the harmonious blend of symbols—invites a confluence of spiritual rhythms, universal principles and archetypal forces.” Mircea Eliade, Dictionary of Symbols.
Sacred Space: “The sacred is not the space itself, but what happens there.”
David Morgan, Encyclopedia of Religion II.
Grounding: “Forces greater than the intellect guide evolution. When we consciously align with them we harmonize with the process.” J. Lotterhand.
Connection: “When one tugs at a single thing in nature, he finds it attached to the rest of the world.” John Muir.
Indigenous Wisdom: “If you love something enough, it will talk with you.” George Washington Carver.
Co-creation: “Co-creative science is the study of reality and how it works by man and nature (nature intelligence) working together in a partnership, as peers. Machaelle Wright www.perelandra-ltd.com
Tools: “This earth is a shared adventure. Healing begins with ceremony. Each human has contracted agreements with many others, seen and unseen.” Ariana Houle, Conversations with Nature.
Ripples: “What will you do with your one wild and precious life?” Mary Oliver.
Resources: “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed it’s the only thing that ever has.” Margaret Mead.
“During the 1988 drought, white farmers in Ohio asked (Leonard) Crow Dog
to perform a rain ceremony for them. He did, and the rain came down."
Lakota Woman, Mary Crow Dog, Epilogue
“It’s so hot and dry; everything is dying,” complained my neighbor before downing the last drop of water from her bottle. Arizona’s high desert country lay parched and cracked. Plants bowed limp under scorching days and bone-dry nights. Residents worked outdoors in early hours only, while evergreen trees released needles in a last ditch effort to conserve moisture. Everyone agonized over the prolonged drought.
Traditionally, Southwestern tribes invoke nature’s blessing through ceremony. What if the cure for drought, I wonder, is simply honoring weather spirits? So, rather than focusing on complaints, I found myself organizing a Pray-for-Rain Ritual.
I placed an ad in the local newspaper: Pray-for-Rain Ceremony, Thursday 7 pm. Airport Mesa. Did I cover all the bases for an event: date, time, place, intention and publicity? That following Thursday, nine people gathered.
To set a sacred space on Airport Mesa, we sprinkled cornmeal in a ceremonial circle, a practice gleaned from Native Americans. We positioned aquatic objects—a puppet whale, a ceramic alligator, a bronze otter and a stuffed toy dolphin—one at each of the four, main directions—North, South, East, West. In the circle’s center we placed shells, pearls, coral, and pictures of marine mammals—anything that conjured a connection with water. Finally, we burned sage in an abalone shell as each participant invited the smoke to purify all thoughts, feelings and actions.
I initiated the plea by addressing each of seven directions— North, South, East, West, The Great Above, The Great Below and The Great Within. “We call to the Great Guardian Spirits of the North, the Grandmothers and Grandfathers of midnight, mystery, winter and the great bear. We give thanks and appreciation for your work in the world and your presence in our lives . . .”
After that, each person invoked names of “moisture spirits.” Neptune, Roman sea god, come forth. Sedna, Inuit mother goddess of all ocean creatures, be with us. Maui, Polynesian god of the oceans, join us, please. Over and over the group chanted: “Moisture Spirits Return.” We shuffled and twirled around the circle, padding, so that our feet sounded like rain hitting the ground. We sprinkled water from a large sea shell and chanted the mystical words: “O-shoo-wa, O-shoo-wa! Moisture Spirits Return.”
Although the sky remained blue and the air hot, dusty and laden with pollen, we felt uplifted. In acknowledging the weather-spirits, something had changed, a shift in the atmosphere, if only in our attitude.
“Try taking zigzag steps,” someone suggested. “That’s the Native American symbol for
“Moisture Spirits, we bless you. Moisture Spirits, come forth. Pour Forth! Be fruitful and multiply.” We zigzagged around the circle. An atheist drummed. A Catholic prayed. Two pagans sang. Three evangelical Christians praised while a curious agnostic looked on. “Water Spirits, come forth. Pour forth! We love you, Moisture. We appreciate you, Rain.”
At sunset, a cool breeze softened the evening sky as a few wisps of clouds gathered. We continued to dance, drum, chant and praise. We continued to invoke Thunder Beings, Rain Makers, Moisture Spirits, Lightning Launchers and Cloud Makers
“Did you feel that?”
“A rain drop?”
“I felt one!” It started to sprinkle. Together in awe, we turned our faces skyward toward gathering gray clouds. Water droplets fell on our hands, faces and on the ground.
“Blessed be the Rain Makers!” Someone shouted.
“Blessed be the Moisture Spirits!” Others chimed in.
Suddenly, everyone was dancing, shouting and cheering with shared exhilaration while cool drops of moisture kissed our faces. The sky darkened. Lightning flashed. Thunder boomed and the rains poured down. Hallelujah!
“Thank you, Moisture Spirits!”
“Thank you, Rain Makers!”
That night I learned where two or more are gathered, in a shared sacred intent, Spirit joins in and answers our prayers.
For further information on influencing the weather,
look for Rainmaker's Prayers Anthology, Shinan Barclay, editor
forthcoming on amazon.com
