The purpose of this ritual is to recognize that work needs to be done to bring human life into harmony with the rest of life of life on earth and to pledge ourselves as Earth Stewards..
Acknowledge those who circle with us by doing a spiral dance:
We walk together the ancient path,
Harmony be among us all
We dance together the sacred dance
Magic be among us all (Rowan Fairgrove)
Cast a circle, participants echo the Priestess:
We acknowledge that this ground is sacred ground
We bring our love and trust within
We affirm our place within the Circle of Life
continue with circle casting in usual manner.
The working:
Take a piece of yarn.. Begin to tie knots in it. The knots may be simple or elaborate, but leave enough string to tie together at the end.
Priestess says: "As you chant, see the world as a network of connected systems. Breathe the air that comes from the top of the world, the tundra clean and free. Feel the living fire of an great cat's power, the blaze of the butterfly's wing. Taste the rain on the leaves at the tops of the trees and the deep power of the Pacific Ocean. Feel the delicate structure of the soil across meadow and forest and field. We are connected and we all rely upon each other.
Chant: (v1 Michael Thorn & v2 Starhawk)
Tying the Cord, Renewing the Earth;
We are Her Children, bringing Rebirth.
We are the Flow and we are the Ebb;
We are the Weavers, we are the Web.
Tie the cord to another cord, creating a symbol of the total web of life and Gaia. Priestess says: "As you join your cords, see yourself standing guard over all of the regions of the Earth. See yourself with others, protecting the verdant rainforest, the fragile tundra, the rolling plains, the upthrust mountains as you would protect yourself. See the streams and rivers running clear, the smog dissipating from the sky, the smoke of factories flow clean, the ozone layer healed, the rain once more nourish rather than burn when it falls." Begin chanting:
The earth, the water the fire, the air
Return, return, return, return (Starhawk)
Once the web has been completed, the globe is passed around while recite the One World Earth Pledge in unison:
I pledge to protect the Earth
And to respect the Web of Life upon it,
and to honor the dignity
of every member of the global family
One planet, one people, one world in harmony
With peace, justice and freedom for all.
When the circuit is complete, the globe is put in the center and the web wrapped over it. The spiral is danced, sending energy to the web of life and the unity of all beings.
For we are the stewards of the Mother Earth
And we the ancient arts sustain
We are the shield, we are the blade,
We are the Witches come again (Leigh Ann Hussey)
When the drop has been made, the final chance is sung: (Starhawk/Ann Hill)
When we are gone, they will remain
Wind and rock, Fire and rain
They will remain when we return
The wind will blow and the fire will burn
Cakes and juice are blessed and shared; and the circle is lifted.
© Rowan Fairgrove 1995