A Pagan Ritual Prayer Book (30 page)

Agni:

• Like butter in the flames
  

  this body in the fire,
  

   
  

  bring, Agni, into glory:
  

   
  

  this one of our people.
  

   
  

The Goddess:

• His whole life has been like waiting and growing in your womb.
  

  The time has come for his birth, from this world into another.
  

   
  

  Bring him, Goddess, through the pangs of this new birth,
  

   
  

  there into that other world.
  

   
  

  Hold your baby there, draw him close to you, feeding him with inexhaustible milk from your evergiving breasts.
  

   
  

  Rock him in your soothing arms, until he knows the peace of a baby resting in his complete faith in his mother.
  

   
  

Osiris:

• In the Land of the Dead,
  

  with the trials passed,
  

   
  

  with the dangers overcome,
  

   
  

  with my heart weighed and found true,
  

   
  

  I will be reborn as Osiris.
  

   
  

As I said in
chapter 2
, a ritual has a beginning, a middle, and an end. The end must undo the beginning, and so the prayers for it are the reverse of the beginning, and are spoken in the reverse order. The ritual “unwinds,” and we find ourselves where we were before. Even if we have been transformed by our encounter with the sacred, we are humans, and we live in a human world, and that is the world to which we must return.

We say good-bye to the Holy Ones, we dismantle our sacred space, and we say good-bye to each other. And so the ritual ends.

• Return, return, from these changing rites.
  

  Return, return, to your daily life.
  

   
  

  Return, return, and with fresh eyes see the world.
  

   
  

• These rites are over,
  

  this time in sacred time,
  

   
  

  this gathering in sacred space.
  

   
  

  We go now to our everyday lives,
  

   
  

  but transformed by our experience of the sacred:
  

   
  

  the profane less profane,
  

   
  

  the mundane less mundane,
  

   
  

  the everyday less everyday,
  

   
  

  to our newly opened eyes.
  

   
  

• It's always hard to leave a place.
  

  But that which is left is not left behind;
  

   
  

  it comes with us as we go,
  

   
  

  and never leaves us,
  

   
  

  though days and miles do their best.
  

   
  

• Our time here is done.
  

  We have worked.
  

   
  

  We have worshipped.
  

   
  

  We have been in the Land of the Gods
  

   
  

  and rejoiced in their presence.
  

   
  

  It is good that we have done this.
  

   
  

  But now we must return to our land,
  

   
  

  the same, but changed by the blessing of the Holy Ones.
  

   
  

• Hear me, O people:
  

  You have done well.
  

   
  

  The gods are pleased
  

   
  

  and have granted their blessings.
  

   
  

  Go now in peace and know they are with you.
  

   
  

  Peace, blessed be.
  

   
  

• Each outward breath a step from their world.
  

  Each inward breath a step toward our own.
  

   
  

  But each beat of our hearts their continuing presence within us.
  

   
  

  Though far way, they are with us now,
  

   
  

  and will continue to be so,
  

   
  

  securing our lives with each beat of our hearts.
  

   
  

• The sand castle dissolves when the tide comes in.
  

  The ice sculpture melts with warming air.
  

   
  

  Our circle dissipates with the ending of our rites.
  

   
  

  Each remains in the minds of their creators
  

   
  

  and in the minds of all who have known them.
  

   
  

  All gone.
  

   
  

  All still here.
  

   
  

• All we are will be the Goddess,
  

  All we do will be the God.
  

   
  

  Transformed by them, but still ourselves,
  

   
  

  we will live our lives more truly,
  

   
  

  and we will come to them again,
  

   
  

  pulled by the need for them which glows in the hearts of our souls.
  

   
  

• Holy Ones, Shining Ones, You whose power is great,
  

  though you go on your way, may it never be said that we have lacked anything in our worship,
  

   
  

  that we have not honored you as you deserve.
  

   
  

• Farewell to you, to you who shine,
  

  you, immortal ones, Givers of Gifts,
  

   
  

  farewell, good friends,
  

   
  

  blessers of those who worship you,
  

   
  

  who invite you to their table,
  

   
  

  who share with you their best,
  

   
  

  their libations lovingly poured.
  

   
  

• As we called them facing East,
  

  we say farewell facing West.
  

   
  

  As the sun they rose,
  

   
  

  as the sun they set,
  

   
  

  as the sun they will rise again in our lives
  

   
  

  when we ask them to come to us.
  

   
  

• Turn in silence, in your minds, in your innermost hearts,
  

  to say good-bye to those we have worshipped.
  

   
  

  Turn, and with the mind's clear voice, say farewell to those we have worshipped.
  

   
  

  Turn again your thoughts and attention to those we have been well and truly worshipped,
  

   
  

  and now, aloud, and with love,
  

   
  

  say “Farewell!”
  

   
  

• Go forth, return home,
  

  each footfall a prayer to those who have blessed you,
  

   
  

  each turn of your car's wheels one with Nature's turning,
  

   
  

  each means of travel a continuation of the sweet blessing
  

   
  

  of those we have honored here.
  

   
  

• All the sacred beings who have shared time with us today,
  

  have shared in our meal,
  

   
  

  have received the offerings we have given with hearts of gratitude,
  

   
  

  have heard the words of praise we have spoken,
  

   
  

  the songs of beauty we have sung:
  

   
  

  we wish you well, departing guests,
  

   
  

  on your way from our home to yours.
  

   
  

  Go as friends, who, as we well know, are great in hospitality,
  

   
  

  whose ready invitations to your well-famed feasts we await eagerly,
  

   
  

  happy to come when called,
  

   
  

  to receive with gratitude your inevitable gifts,
  

   
  

  and to invite you to come again to dine with us.
  

   
  

• You go now to your homes,
  

  our friends,
  

   
  

  from this place of celebration.
  

   
  

  We go now to our homes,
  

   
  

  your friends,
  

   
  

  from this place of celebration.
  

   
  

  As friends we have shared this time,
  

   
  

  as friends enjoyed this party together,
  

   
  

  as friends celebrated these rites,
  

   
  

  each one doing what friends do when they get together.
  

   
  

  We will celebrate again,
  

   
  

  as friends do,
  

   
  

  here, or elsewhere,
  

   
  

  always in a place of celebration.
  

   
  

• The sun sets, and it is night.
  

  The moon sets, and it is dark.
  

   
  

  The frost falls, and it is cold.
  

   
  

  But when you come,
  

   
  

  there is day, and light, and warmth.
  

   
  

  When we call to you from the greatest depths of our lives,
  

   
  

  we know that you will come to us from love and friendship.
  

   
  

  And with this knowledge, we say good-bye to you,
  

   
  

  all you Holy Ones.
  

   
  

• Has what I have done here pleased you?
  

  Then please me with what I have asked for.
  

   
  

  Has what I have given been welcome?
  

   
  

  Then give me what I have asked for.
  

   
  

  It is only fair, and you are fair.
  

   
  

• Spirits who have spent this time with us,
  

  we know it is now time for you to return to your homes,
  

   
  

  and you know this too:
  

   
  

  this is our last knowing-together.
  

   
  

  We give you this food,
  

   
  

  to keep you strong on your journey.
  

   
  

  We give you this drink,
  

   
  

  to quench your thirst.
  

   
  

  We give you these words,
  

   
  

  to lighten the way.
  

   
  

  With gifts and words, we give our farewell,
  

   
  

  to you, Revered Ones,
  

   
  

  who have blessed us today.
  

   
  

  As you go on your way, you go with our thanks.