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    Big thread of liturgy and devotionals

    The womb of stars embraces us;
    remnants of their firey furnaces
    pulse through our veins.


    We are of the stars,
    the dust of the explosions
    cast across space.


    We are of the earth:
    we breathe and live in the breath
    of ancient plants and beasts.


    Their cells nourish the soils;
    we build our communities
    on their harvest of gifts


    Our fingers trace the curves
    carved in clay and stone
    by forebears unknown to us


    We are a part
    of the great circle of humanity
    gathered around the fire, the hearth, the altar.


    We gather anew this day
    to celebrate our common heritage.


    May we recall in gratitude
    all that has given us birth.
    From Singing the Living Tradition, the Unitarian Universalist Association Hymnal, reading number 445 by Joy Atkinson. If read in a group setting, the italicized parts are meant to be read as a response by the group as a whole.
    Wonderful Life: The Burgess Shale and the Nature of HistoryPagan Devotionals, because the wind and the rain is our Bible
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    #2
    Re: Big thread of liturgy and devotionals

    Spirit of the East, Spirit of Air,
    of Morning and Springtime
    Be with us as the sun rises in times of beginning,
    in times of planting.
    Inspire us with the fresh breath of courage
    as we go forth into new adventures.

    Spirit of the South, Spirit of Fire,
    of noontime and Summer.
    Be with us through the heat of the day
    and help us to be ever growing.
    Warm us with strength and energy
    for the work that awaits us.

    Spirit of the West, Spirit of Water,
    of evening and autumn
    Be with us as the sun sets
    and help us to enjoy a rich harvest.
    Flow through us with a cooling,
    healing quietness and bring us peace.

    Spirit of the North, Spirit of Earth,
    of nighttime and winter
    Be with us in the darkness
    in the time of gestation.
    Ground us in the wisdom of the changing seasons
    as we celebrate the spiraling journey of our lives.

    From Singing the Living Tradition (the Unitarian Universalist Association hymnal), reading number 446, by Joan Goodwin.
    Wonderful Life: The Burgess Shale and the Nature of HistoryPagan Devotionals, because the wind and the rain is our Bible
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      #3
      Re: Big thread of liturgy and devotionals

      15-fold Blessing (Feri)

      Blessed are my feet, that have brought me in these ways.
      Blessed are my knees, that shall kneel at the sacred altar.
      Blessed is my sex, without which we would not be.
      Blessed are my breasts, formed in strength and beauty.
      Blessed are my lips, which will speak the sacred Names.
      Blessed are my hands, that will do the work of the Gods.
      Blessed is my head, which coordinates my movements.
      Blessed are my senses, that taste the Magick of the world.
      Blessed are my internal organs, fitted together in form and
      function.
      Blessed is my skin, which contains and protects me.
      Blessed is my blood, which nourishes me.
      Blessed are my bones, which support me.
      Blessed is my flesh, in whatever age or stage it presents itself to
      Life.
      Blessed am I:
      I am her child.
      I am Her Self.
      Wonderful Life: The Burgess Shale and the Nature of HistoryPagan Devotionals, because the wind and the rain is our Bible
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        #4
        Re: Big thread of liturgy and devotionals

        Pagan

        by T. Thorne Coyle, as shared on her blog, Know Thyself, 27 Sept2010
        Wholly! Wholly! Wholly!
        Power, light, and grace.
        Wholly! Wholly! Wholly!
        Shadow, love, and all unfolding time.

        Know Thyself.
        Know the World.
        Know the Cosmos.
        Know that you are God/dess,
        (But not the only one).

        Wonderful Life: The Burgess Shale and the Nature of HistoryPagan Devotionals, because the wind and the rain is our Bible
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          #5
          Re: Big thread of liturgy and devotionals

          For blessing/cleansing a home...


          May nothing evil cross this door
          and may ill fortune
          never pry about these windows
          May roar and rain go by.

          By faith made strong the rafters will
          withstand the battering of the storm
          This hearth, though all the world
          grow cold, will keep you warm.

          Peace shall walk softly through these rooms
          touching our lips with holy wine
          till every casual corner blooms
          into a holy shrine.

          With laughter drown the raucous shout
          and, though these sheltering walls are thin,
          may they be strong to keep hate out
          and hold love in.

          *From the Unitarian Universalist hymnal, Singing the Living Tradition, hymn #1. We actually use this, slightly modified, in our home blessing and cleansing.
          Wonderful Life: The Burgess Shale and the Nature of HistoryPagan Devotionals, because the wind and the rain is our Bible
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            #6
            Re: Big thread of liturgy and devotionals

            Devotional poetry by yours truly...

            Salt Marsh Goddess
            You may need
            a super-human
            super-hero
            super-natural god/dess,
            hammer or harp in hand,
            horse-bodied or jackal-headed,
            Lady of the Lake or Lord of the Seas.*

            But I have the deep, deep ocean
            and strong winds driving waves upon the shore
            driving me to my knees for absolution;
            A sun that warms tender shoots,
            crooning them from the loamy body of a Living Earth;
            The caress of the Willow branch as I lie beneath her roots,
            book in hand, and squirmy child in lap.

            The Salt Marsh Goddess speaks to me in ringing tones,
            as clear as any god of myth does for you
            & she speaks in a thousand tongues–
            Spartina, Juniperus, Myrica, Sesarma,
            Uca, Littorina, Malaclemys, Ardea, Alligator
            …just to name a few.

            While you argue
            over how to resurrect
            gods of long passed cultures,
            I’ll be the one covered in mud and dancing with the rushes,
            celebrating a goddess born of glaciers.

            *(And that’s okay for you.
            But its not enough for me.)




            Sedna

            black eyes peer from blackness
            hair like tangled seaweed, current tossed
            framed in gates of gleaming white bone
            so young to be so cold
            anger buried deep

            encased in Ice
            rage a frozen scream
            hands hacked to pieces
            cannot even brush her tangled hair
            the dark is silent
            the deep is still

            She waits
            Her blood flows in sticky metallic drips
            eddying into dark cold waters
            flows into the shapes
            dolphins whales seal otter shark
            keening as harpoons strike

            she feels each hit
            as if it were her own flesh
            pierced

            She waits
            She sees Her children sinking, motionless
            She sees their blood flow into the black water night

            when She rises
            who will pay Her price
            who will brush her tangled hair

            when the ice cracks
            can you appease her hidden rage


            Lamentations for the Sea

            Deepest cold, I mourn for you.
            Sedna, I mourn for you.
            Broken goddess, furious maiden I mourn for you.
            Betrayed by man, I mourn for you.
            Giver of fishes, I mourn for you.
            Mother of the hunt, I mourn for you.
            Blanketed by oil, I mourn for you.
            Breaking wave, I mourn for you.
            Who birthed Aphrodite, I mourn for you.
            White foam on a silvery shore, I mourn for you.
            Beloved of surfers, I mourn for you.
            Receiver of baby turtles, I mourn for you.
            Encircling currents, I mourn for you.
            Carrier of refuse to desolate shores, I mourn for you.
            Nurturer of the Albatross, I mourn for you.
            Incoming tide, I mourn for you.
            Neptune, Poseidon, I mourn for you.
            Bringer of Hurricanes, I mourn for you.
            Protector of sailors, I mourn for you.
            Creator of Climate, I mourn for you.
            Hider of treasure, I mourn for you.
            Exploited for dwindling resources, I mourn for you.
            Blood of the Earth, I mourn for you.
            Tropical seas, I mourn for you.
            La Sirene, Met Agwe, I mourn for you.
            Mother of mermaids and manatees, I mourn for you.
            Song of the sea, I mourn for you.
            Patron of ocean travelers, I mourn for you.
            Ferrier of the dead, I mourn for you.
            Pawn of nations-at-conflict, I mourn for you.
            Ebb tide, I mourn for you.
            Toxic soup, I mourn for you.
            You who have been called Tethys, Thetis, Thalassa, Tiamat,
            Oceanus, Posideon, Neptune, the Old Man of the Sea,
            50 daughers of Nereus Nereids, Repun Kamui, Lir,
            Mazu, Gods of the Four Seas, Dakuwaqa, Vedenemo, Ahti, and Vellamo,
            Kanaloa, Namaka, Varuna, Susanoo, Namu, Sirsir, Olokun--
            I adore you.
            Our human greed is killing you.
            I mourn for you.


            blue girl (Psamathe)
            in this my blue world
            the wind waves are my hair
            the sand mud are my toes
            squishing up into waving seaweed

            in this my blue world
            the fishes crabs oysters are my hands
            the sea spray is my voice
            singing into the sky

            in this my blue world
            I will hold you to my bosom
            rock your soul clean
            until it shines like my sister moon's
            soul-reflection

            in this my blue world
            my water blood pumps
            the heart soul
            of the space marble

            may you never thirst at my door
            may you never hunger at my table

            I am the blue girl
            my hearth is your shore

            blue upon blue
            upon blue
            until the end of me
            of you


            Adorations to the Sun

            Waking Fire, I adore you
            Aurora, rosy fingered in saffron robes, I adore you
            Khepri, I adore you
            Extinguisher of darkness, I adore you
            Thesan of the Dawn, bringer of new life, I adore you
            Evaporator of fresh morning dew, I adore you
            Infant King I adore you
            Producer of helium, I adore you
            Shapash, I adore you
            Who brings a new day, I adore youWarming Fire, I adore you
            Supplier of Light, I adore you
            Protector from cosmic rays, I adore you
            Definer of shadows, I adore you
            Growing Sun, Boy King, I adore you
            Arinna, I adore you
            Cosmic Nuclear Furnace, I adore you
            Eye of the Heavens, I adore you
            Amaterasu, I adore you
            Who holds the planets with immense gravity, I adore youBurning Fire, I adore you
            Ra, I adore you
            That which the planets orbit, I adore you
            Photon source, I adore you
            G-type main sequence star, I adore you
            Sun King, Lord of the Longest Day, I adore you
            Converter of hydrogen, I adore you
            Creator of the solar wind, I adore you
            Helios, I adore you
            Who drives all weather on Earth, I adore youRelentless fire, I adore you
            Courageous Malina, I adore you
            Center of this solar system, I adore you
            Luminous disk, I adore you
            Inspiration of man, I adore you
            Bringer of rainbows, I adore you
            Free source of energy, I adore you
            Sustainer of life, I adore you
            Tama-nui-te-rā, I adore you
            Who ripens fruits and fields, I adore youWaning fire, I adore you
            Evening light, I adore you
            Sol Invictus, unconquered and unbounded, I adore you
            Grandfather Sun, stately and wise, I adore you
            Setting Sun, I adore you
            Worshiped by the ancients, I adore you
            Driver of photosynthesis, I adore you
            Surya, Guardian of the Year, I adore you
            Green flash, I adore you
            Who sets circadian rhythms, I adore youSlumbering Fire, I adore you
            Source of the moon's reflection, I adore you
            Maker of dancing polar lights, I adore you
            Torch of Gnowee, I adore you
            Mithras, I adore you
            Resurrecting Sun, I adore you
            Random walk, I adore you
            Radiant heat, I adore you
            Galactic wanderer, I adore you
            Who shines on, even as we turn away, I adore you


            (all of which, along with other stuff, can be found here)
            Wonderful Life: The Burgess Shale and the Nature of HistoryPagan Devotionals, because the wind and the rain is our Bible
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              #7
              Re: Big thread of liturgy and devotionals
              'Spirits of Nature which inhabit this place,
              Ancestors which have walked these paths,
              Gods that dwell in these lands,
              And Cosmos which enfolds us all:


              See that you are recognized,
              Hear that you are remembered,
              Know that I rejoice in your presence.
              I ask you now to stand witness
              and bless this rite.


              With this offering*, I declare my intention
              to live more fully as a child of Humanity,
              born of those born before me,
              to walk the paths they have walked
              and to forge ahead in preparation
              for those to whom I shall become an ancestor.
              (make offering to water)


              With this offering*, I declare my intention
              to live more fully as a child of Earth;
              born of Rock and Tree, Ocean and Breeze,
              to inhabit the Living Earth that extends around me,
              to drink of the Waters of Life that flow around me,
              to inhale the Air that whispers around me.
              (make offering to earth)


              With this offering*, I declare my intention
              to live more fully as a child of Divinity;
              born of Inspiration and Desire, to strive to be worthy
              as a partner in the creation and continuation of culture,
              and to hold mythos–our collective dreams and nightmares,
              glory and folly, as sacred treasures.
              (make offering to air)


              With this offering*, I declare my intention
              to live more fully as a child of the Cosmos,
              born of stardust, and moon-pulled tides,
              to dance with the Cauldron of Creation,
              the living flame of live within ourselves, within our Earth,
              our solar system, and the burning suns beyond our sight.
              (make offering to fire)


              I shall strive to take action each day that will attune me to the Universe:


              So that my words shall be true and my actions just as
              I seek to give the voice of our past to our future–
              to be a bridge between my ancestors and my antecedents.


              So that my choices are mindful of the Earth
              and conscious of all of her children
              as I undertake the daily tasks of living.


              So that my worship is thoughtful
              and honors the role of the Gods
              in the lives of their peoples.


              See that you have been recognized,
              Hear that you have been remembered,
              Know that I rejoice in your presence.
              My offering stands as testament to my thanks for your witness.




              (from a personal dedication ritual, slightly altered)


              *For offerings:

              Offerings of Earth are made to the Spirits of Nature, and are generally food of some sort. I like to use grain outdoors, generally millet…because, well…lets be pragmatic, its pretty much birdseed.

              Offerings of Water are made to the ancestors and are generally drink. I don’t like to use alcohol, because (with some very minor exceptions) when poured put as an outdoor offering, I feel it is deeply disrespectful to the land (here in the US.

              Offerings of Air are made to the gods as incense. The precise gods involved may change the incense up a bit (if they are Greek, I go by the Orphic Hymn’s suggestions), or may not (sandalwood, frankincense, myrrh, and dragon’s blood, as well as California White Sage, all have some iffy conservation issues that I avoid by avoidance.

              Offerings of Fire are made as original bits of inspiration that I choose to give up and not use elsewhere, they get burned, and they are made to the Cosmos/Universe-at-Large (a nod to my pantheistic tendencies).
              Last edited by thalassa; 12 Aug 2016, 01:12.
              Wonderful Life: The Burgess Shale and the Nature of HistoryPagan Devotionals, because the wind and the rain is our Bible
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                #8
                Re: Big thread of liturgy and devotionals

                I think I maybe posted this in the Egyptian forums...but I think it belongs here too:

                Adorations for Seshat


                Keeper of Records, I adore you.
                Mistress of the House of Books, I adore you.
                Scribe of Pharaohs, I adore you.
                Recorder of Glory, I adore you.

                She who measures foundations, I adore you.
                Lover of knowledge, I adore you.
                Wife of Thoth*, I adore you.
                Mother of the Golden Horus**, I adore you.

                Patron of Writers, I adore you.
                Lady of the writings in the House of Life, I adore you.
                Recorder of Time, I adore you.
                Counter of Days, I adore you.

                Patron of foreigners, I adore you.
                She who was born before the Sun, I adore you.
                Lady of hieroglyphics, I adore you.
                Patron of Surveyors, Beloved of Architects, I adore you.

                Original One, I adore you.
                Lady of Lists, Counter of People, I adore you.
                Bearer of the light of Gnosis, I adore you.
                She who opens the door after death, I adore you.

                Inventor of the Written Word, I adore you.
                Keeper of fate, I adore you.
                Patron of builders, I adore you.
                She who stretches the cord**, I adore you.

                Bringer of understanding, I adore you.
                She who reckons all things, I adore you:
                Recorder of all things from the beginning,
                Until their end.

                She who keeps alive the sacred flame of humanity
                What is measured is seen
                What is written remains
                What is remembered lives


                In pages we find the world,
                In words we find life


                I kiss the earth for Seshat--
                She who remembers
                Will not be forgotten.
                Wonderful Life: The Burgess Shale and the Nature of HistoryPagan Devotionals, because the wind and the rain is our Bible
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                  #9
                  Re: Big thread of liturgy and devotionals

                  I forget where I came across this originally, but I've had it in my little black book (grimoire, witchy-journal, BoS, whatevs) for quite some time. Its a poem that I use as a meditation in times of strife, hopelessness, etc...when all the world is obviously mad...right in that moment before you are sure your heart will surely shatter (again) in a million pieces. It was written in the aftermath of 9/11, but I often think of it pretty much anytime I turn on the news these days.

                  Wage Peace
                  by Judyth Hill, written the day after 9/11

                  Wage peace with your breath.


                  Breathe in firemen and rubble,
                  breathe out whole buildings and flocks of red wing blackbirds.


                  Breathe in terrorists
                  and breathe out sleeping children and freshly mown fields.


                  Breathe in confusion and breathe out maple trees.


                  Breathe in the fallen and breathe out lifelong friendships intact.


                  Wage peace with your listening: hearing sirens, pray loud.
                  Remember your tools: flower seeds, clothes pins, clean rivers.


                  Make soup.
                  Play music, memorize the words for thank you in three languages.

                  Learn to knit, and make a hat.


                  Think of chaos as dancing raspberries,
                  imagine grief
                  as the outbreath of beauty
                  or the gesture of fish.


                  Swim for the other side.
                  Wage peace.


                  Never has the world seemed so fresh and precious:
                  Have a cup of tea and rejoice.


                  Act as if armistice has already arrived.
                  Celebrate today.
                  Wonderful Life: The Burgess Shale and the Nature of HistoryPagan Devotionals, because the wind and the rain is our Bible
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