Prayer: Over the next year, please bless all the acts of creation in our lives that bring us closer to living in joyful harmony with this beautiful, sacred, wonderful earth.
For this ritual I will only be honoring the outsiders.
On this most joyous of days, we come together as a community, pledging to work together in harmony with the earth and to help create a closer and more solid Grove. We ask that these acts of creation in our lives be blessed, by whatever means the Gods deem appropriate. But there are those, seen and unseen, sentient or just plain bad luck, that will try to divert this path of creation and unity. We ask for a reprieve from these outside forces today while we work for a common good. Outsiders, we understand the necessity of your existence, we acknowledge you for the challenges and new directions that you provide. But for this night, share in the bounty of this mead as a gift in exchange for peace. Outsiders, accept this offering!
I also plan to give a praise offering in honor of a friend who commit suicide last week, coinciding with Tracy honoring her friend who died of health issues, and Aurora who may honor her friend who survived a massive heart attack last month.
Praise Offering:
Dear Calvin,
You were a loving father, a big glorious bearded teddy bear for a friend, and someone that is going to be missed by so many people because of the positive influences you had on their lives and how happy you made everyone.
I do not pretend to understand the anguish and pain that consumed your every thought the day you took your own life. I cannot imagine how intense and mortifying it must have been, enough to leave your two beautiful daughters behind without their loving father. I’ve struggled over the last week or so, attempting to place blame on myself for not contacting you sooner, for procrastinating, for not being more assertive. I felt like I could have done something to prevent this, and it tore me up significantly. I know that your choice is your own though, and I know that my ignorance is not to blame for something I had no sense of. I ask the Gods and the Ancient Wise to rest their hands upon your shoulder and lead you to happier times, to more peaceful times. I ask that you be released of your pain and suffering, and to rest now my dear friend. I love you, and will think of you fondly and often. Till we meet again.
