{"collection":"bos","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/browse/bos/bos625.htm","path":"bos/bos625.htm","source_url":"https://sacred-texts.com/bos/bos625.htm","text":"Internet Book of Shadows, (Various Authors), [1999]\n \n \n RITUAL FOR WOMEN RECLAIMING THE GOD \n \n The session begins with everyone telling how the figure of the \n God had been \"spoiled\" for them -- ie, by patriarchal and/or \n sexually repressive religions, by the destructive aspects of male \n energy (war, domination), etc.\n \n The altar is decorated with symbols of the God -- ours had\n antlers, a crystal phallus, grain & grapes, a plastic goat from a\n Celebrato Doppelbock beer bottle, an abstract figure of Baron Samedi (a\n T shape made of dowels and dressed in a black frock coat with a top hat,\n a red scarf, and a cane), a couple of statues of Chinese sages or bod-\n hisattvas.\n \n I. Quarters: E - Myrddin, S - Weyland, W - Taliesin, N - Freyr\n (sorry this is so sketchy; I just improvised them on the spot. \n Check out their respective mythologies for ideas on how to invoke them)\n \n II. Guided Meditation\n \n GROUND AND CENTER. SINK INTO THE EARTH. ALL AROUND YOU, THE\n BREATHING OF SISTERS BECOMES THE BREATHING OF THE WORLDS' WINDS. THE\n HEAT OF OTHER BODIES BECOMES THE FIRE OF ALL LIFE. THE RUSH OF BLOOD\n IN YOUR EARS BECOMES THE MURMURING OF THE SEA. THE FLOOR BECOMES A\n RICH, LOAMY FIELD, FRESH PLOUGHED.\n \n FEEL THE SOIL. RUB IT BETWEEN YOUR FINGERS. SEE IT AND SMELL\n IT. IT IS DARK, ALMOST BLACK. IT SMELLS OF COMPOST,SOMEHOW SMOKY. IT\n IS SMOOTH, CRUMBLY, FREE OF ROCKS, FIRM TO SUPPORT ROOTS BUT LOOSE TO\n LET THEM SPREAD. THIS IS MOTHER. LIE DOWN UPON HER BODY AND EMBRACE\n HER; FEEL HER WARMTH, WARMTH FROM THE SUN, SEEPING INTO YOU, COMFORTING\n YOU.\n \n RISE UP. AT YOUR SIDE, HANGING FROM YOUR SHOULDER, IS A BAG. \n WHEN YOU REACH INTO IT, YOUR HAND COMES OUT FULL OF SEEDS. WALK BACK\n AND FORTH IN THE FIELD, SCATTERING THE SEEDS. FEEL THE SOIL GIVE UNDER\n YOUR FEET. FEEL THE SUN OVERHEAD; IT IS HOT, AND YOU ARE GETTING\n TIRED. KEEP ON, RHYTHMICALLY REACHING INTO THE BAG AND CASTING THE\n SEEDS ABROAD. YOUR SWEAT RUNS OFF YOU INTO THE FURROWS, SOAKING INTO\n THE SOIL. NOW THE WHOLE FIELD IS PLANTED. NOW YOU CAN SIT AT THE\n FIELD'S EDGE AND REST.\n \n YOU ARE TIRED. YOU FEEL AS THOUGH YOU COULD REST FOR DAYS. YOU\n SIT EASY, BALANCED, ROOTED LIKE A STONE. YOU ARE A STONE. YOU ARE THE\n GUARDIAN STONE OF THIS FIELD. YOU WATCH, AS DAYS PASS. SLOWLY,\n \n SLOWLY, THE SUN ROLLS OVERHEAD, CLOUDS FILL THE SKY AND EMPTY OVER THE\n FIELD WITH THUNDER AND LIGHTNING. SLOWLY, SLOWLY, THE FIELD TURNS FROM\n BROWN TO GREEN, AS THE FIRST SPROUTS FORCE THEIR WAY FROM THE SOIL.\n DAYS PASS. WEEKS PASS. THE SPROUTS LOOK FIRST LIKE GRASS, THEN STALKS\n APPEAR AND GROW EVER LONGER. AT THE TOP OF EACH STALK, SWELLINGS\n BECOME NEW SEEDS. THE CLUSTERS OF SEEDS GROW, BLANKETED IN THEIR\n CHAFF, THE HEADS OF GRAIN GROW BRUSHY, BEARDED. THE GRAIN TURNS GOLD\n FROM GREEN; THE HEADS BOW DOWN UNDER THE WEIGHT OF THEIR SEED.\n \n AND NOW YOU SEE PEOPLE COMING INTO THE FIELD, WOMEN WITH SICKLES\n IN THEIR HANDS. THEY ARE SINGING A DIRGE, A MOURNING SONG. THEY COME\n INTO THE FIELD AND CUT THE STALKS, KILLING THE PLANTS! YOU ARE A\n STONE, BUT YOU FEEL YOUR HEART BREAK WITH GRIEF FOR THIS KILLING.\n SOON, ONLY STUBBLE IS LEFT; THE WOMEN HAVE TAKEN THE GRAIN AWAY.\n BEFORE LONG, MORE WOMEN COME, AND SET FIRE TO THE STUBBLE. YOU FEEL\n THE HEAT OF IT WARMING YOUR STONE BODY. YOU FEEL CRACKS OPEN INSIDE\n YOU. SOON, THE FIRE BURNS OUT, AND THE FIELD IS LEFT BLACK AS IT\n BEGAN. THE WOMEN RETURN WITH SEEDS, PLANTING AS BEFORE. THE WEATHER\n TURNS COLD, AND YOUR STONE-SELF CRACKS APART; PIECES OF YOU FALL ONTO\n THE FIELD.\n \n YOUR AWARENESS IS IN THE FIELD NOW, IN THE SEEDS. SLEEPING IN\n THE EARTH, UNDER THE SNOW. WITH SPRING, YOU FEEL THE EARTH WARMING, AND\n YOU KNOW WITHOUT KNOWING HOW THAT THE SUN IS ABOVE YOU. YOU PUSH\n UPWARD, TOWARD THE UNSEEN SUN. YOU SEND DOWN A TAP ROOT TO HELP PUSH\n YOU UP AND TO FEED YOU, AND IN THE OTHER DIRECTION YOU SEND A SHOOT\n WITH TWO LEAF BUDS. BEFORE LONG, YOU BURST OUT INTO THE SUNLIGHT. ALL\n AROUND YOU ARE OTHER PLANTS. AS THE DAYS PASS, YOU GROW WITH THEM.\n WHEN THE THUNDERSTORMS COME, YOU FEEL THAT THIS RAIN IS RICHER, AND YOU\n FEEL BLESSED. SEEDS DRINK RAIN AND EAT SUNLIGHT AND GROW HEAVY UPON\n YOU. YOU CANNOT HOLD THEM UP; THEY PULL YOU DOWN. YOU ARE OPPRESSED,\n AND AT A STANDSTILL. YOU SENSE MOVEMENT IN THE FIELD, AND THEN THERE\n IS A SHARP PAIN! YOU ARE CUT OFF FROM YOUR ROOT! YOUR POWER TO\n TRANSFORM SUNLIGHT SLIPS AWAY FROM YOU LIKE BLOOD! YOU ARE DYING! YOU\n ARE TAKEN AWAY FROM YOUR MOTHER FIELD AND THROWN ON A HARD FLOOR. YOU\n ARE BEATEN, BROKEN APART, SCATTERED. YOU ARE DEAD.\n \n BUT SOME AWARENESS REMAINS WITH YOU. YOU FEEL THE PIECES OF\n YOURSELF GATHERED UP IN HUMAN HANDS, AND THEN SCATTERED AGAIN, THIS TIME\n ON SOFTNESS. IT IS MOTHER! THEY HAVE RETURNED YOU TO MOTHER! AND NOW\n YOU ARE MORE THAN YOU WERE BEFORE; BEFORE YOU WERE A SINGLE PLANT -- NOW\n YOU ARE A DOZEN PLANTS. THE CYCLE IS REPEATED, ALL OF YOUR SELVES ARE\n KILLED AND THROWN ABOUT, AND NOW YOU ARE HUNDREDS OF SELVES! YOU DIE,\n YOU ARE TORN APART, YOU ARE REGATHERED, AND REBORN. YOUR HUNDREDS OF\n SELVES SPEAK IN THIS VOICE: EVEN THIS AM I, AND I AM GOD.\n \n COME BACK TO YOUR ONE SELF NOW, YOUR ONE HUMAN SELF. YOU ARE \n SITTING BESIDE THE FIELD, WHERE YOU SAT DOWN, WITH THE EMPTY SEED BAG AT\n YOUR SIDE. YOU LEAVE IT THERE, YOU RISE UP, AND TURN AWAY FROM THE\n FIELD, TO THE WOODS AT THE BACK OF THE FIELD. YOU FEEL LEAF MOULD AND\n TWIGS UNDERFOOT. ALL AROUND YOU YOU SEE LIFE SPRINGING UP OUT OF DEATH. \n WHERE TREES HAVE FALLEN, NEW PLANTS ARE GROWING UP THROUGH THE ROTTING\n TRUNKS. WHERE ANIMALS HAVE DIED, THEIR BODIES HAVE DECAYED TO PROVIDE\n FOOD FOR THE PLANTS ALL AROUND. ALL AROUND YOU, LIFE IS LIVING OFF OF\n DEATH; THIS IS THE NATURE OF LIFE, ITS HORROR AND ITS WONDER. YOU HEAR\n A NOISE NEARBY AND TURN TO LOOK; THERE IS A MAGNIFICENT STAG JUST ON THE\n OTHER SIDE OF A BUSH; YOU BLINK, AND IT IS GONE. WAS IT ONLY BRANCHES?\n \n 2873\n \n EVERYWHERE AROUND YOU, GREEN THINGS ARE FULL OF THE FIRE OF\n LIFE, AS ARE YOU. YOU FEEL LIFE THRILLING THROUGH YOU, LIKE ELECTRIC-\n ITY. SOMETHING ELSE IS EXCITING YOU -- WHAT IS IT? YOU CANNOT QUITE\n TELL. IS IT A SCENT, A SOUND, A SENSE? SOMETHING, THERE ON THE EDGE OF\n YOUR HEARING, SOMETHING YOU CAN ALMOST TOUCH, A FAINT SCENT YOU \n HALF-REMEMBER. WHAT IS IT? YOU ARE AROUSED AND DETERMINED TO TRACK\n DOWN THE SOURCE.\n \n EVERYWHERE YOU TURN, YOU SEE GLIMPSES, HALF-SEEN, OF SOMETHING.\n SOMETHING FLITTING THROUGH THE TREES. IS IT A DEER? A WILD BOAR? A\n FERAL GOAT? A BEAR? ON THE BUSHES YOU FIND TUFTS OF HAIR. BEFORE YOU\n YOU SEE TRACKS -- CLOVEN HOOVED, TOED, CLAWED. WHAT ARE YOU FOLLOWING?\n DO YOU DARE GO ON? ALL AROUND YOU IS THE PULSING OF ELEMENTAL FORCES:\n THE FIRE OF LIFE, THE WIND OF BREATH, THE WATER OF BLOOD, THE EARTH,\n THE EARTH, THE EARTH, POWERFUL AND DARK AND UNKNOWABLE.\n \n ABOVE YOU, THE SKY DARKENS, THE WIND RISES. YOU HEAR THUNDER\n AND THE BAYING OF HOUNDS, CRYING FOR BLOOD AND DEATH. YOU TREMBLE WITH\n FEAR AND EXCITEMENT; WHITE HOUNDS WITH RED EARS BURST OUT OF THE BUSHES,\n SURROUNDING YOU. THEY GROWL -- BUT THEY ARE WAGGING THEIR TAILS. ARE\n YOU THEIR PREY, OR THEIR MASTER? YOU FEEL ANTLERS ON YOUR OWN BROW; ARE\n YOU THE STAG THEY HUNT, OR THE HUNTER WHO CARES FOR THEM? NOW THERE ARE\n PEOPLE WITH THE DOGS, AND YOU FEEL THE LOVE OF THE PEOPLE, THE RESPECT. \n YOUR DEATH WILL FEED THEM, GIVE THEM THEIR NEEDS, AND THEY ARE GIVING\n YOU THEIR LOVE. YOU KNOW THEIR HUNGER, AND YOU FEEL GREAT COMPASSION\n FOR THEM. YOU LIE DOWN AND LEAVE YOUR BODY TO THEM; THEY SING WITH JOY\n AS YOUR SELF FLIES UP OVERHEAD, OUTWARD, SPREADING, INTO THE TREES AND\n PLANTS AND ANIMALS AND EVERYTHING.\n \n YOU ARE SUDDENLY OVERWHELMED BY THE FEELING THAT YOU ARE BEING\n CAUGHT UP IN THE COSMOS; YOU ARE EVERYTHING AND NOTHING; YOU ARE NOT\n YOURSELF; YOU HAVE NO SELF; YOU FEEL A SUDDEN, UNREASONING TERROR; YOU\n ARE STILL; YOU ARE ALL.\n \n SLOWLY, SOMETHING BREAKS INTO YOUR FEAR. YOU HEAR A SWEET, LOW,\n BREATHY PIPING. THE PIPING CALMS YOU, AND YOU KNOW NOW IN YOUR HEART\n THAT YOU ARE ALWAYS A PART OF EVERYTHING AND EVERYTHING IS WITHIN YOU.\n YOU ARE STILL; YOU ARE ALL; YOU ARE LIFE AND DEATH AND REBIRTH; WITHIN\n YOUR OWN HUMAN BODY IS THE MICROCOSM OF ALL THAT IS. THE GREEKS NAME\n THIS ALL \"PAN\".\n \n YOU STAND BACK IN THE WOOD, HEARING THE MUSIC, SMELLING THE\n SMELLS OF PLANTS AND ANIMALS, FEELING THAT PULSE OF POWER FILLING YOU,\n INFORMING YOU, EMPOWERING YOU. YOU ARE ECSTATIC! YOU TAKE TO YOUR\n TOES AND DANCE WITH JOY! AROUND YOU, ANIMALS COME OUT OF THE FOREST TO\n DANCE WITH YOU, REJOICING IN LIFE!\n \n YOU SEE THE LIGHT OF THE SUN FILTERING DOWN THROUGH LEAVES, AND\n THE LIGHT SEEMS TO TAKE A SHAPE. WHAT IS THAT SHAPE? WHO DO YOU SEE?\n THE GOD STANDS, SMILING, WELCOMING, BEFORE YOU. WHO IS HE? HE IS ALL\n THINGS TO ALL PEOPLE; WHAT IS HE TO YOU? HIS EYES ARE SAD AND WARY AS\n A DEER'S. HOW WILL YOU DEAL WITH HIM? HE REACHES OUT TO YOU; YOU HAVE\n BEEN AS HE, YOU HAVE DIED AND RISEN, YOU HAVE BEEN THE LIFE OF WILDNESS,\n YOU KNOW THAT HE HAS BEEN WITHIN YOU AS YOU; WILL YOU WELCOME HIM BACK\n AS HE, THE GOD?\n \n YOU DO TOUCH HIM, AND WELCOME HIM. HE THROWS BACK HIS HEAD TO\n LAUGH FOR JOY! AND NOW YOU DANCE TOGETHER, AS ONE, FOR YOU ARE ONE. \n \n SIT UP. FEEL YOUR BODY! TOUCH YOUR BODY AND FEEL YOUR FLESH, FEEL THE\n HEAT OF LIFE UNDER YOUR FLESH. BREATHE AND FEEL THE WIND WITHIN YOU. \n MOVE, AND FEEL THE JOY OF THE DANCE! RISE UP, AND DANCE THIS INVOCA-\n TION!\n \n HE IS THE STORM THAT SCOURS THE LAND\n HE IS THE GUIDE OF HIDDEN WAYS\n HE IS THE HOLLY AND THE OAK\n HE IS THE HUNTER AND THE PREY\n HE IS THE LORD OF STAG AND BEAR\n HE IS THE SLAYER AND THE SLAIN\n HE IS THE BLADE OF SACRIFICE\n HE IS THE BLOOD THAT HEALS ALL PAIN\n HE IS THE WORD THAT MADE THE WORLDS\n HE IS THE SONG IN EVERY THROAT\n HE IS THE IVY AND THE GRAPE\n HE IS THE LORD OF RAM AND GOAT\n HE IS THE HEAT IN LIMB AND LOIN\n HE IS THE RAPTURE AND THE FRIGHT\n HE IS THE FIRST LORD OF THE DANCE\n HE IS THE FLAME UPON THE HEIGHT\n HE IS THE SOWER AND THE SEED\n HE IS THE STONE BESIDE THE TRACK\n HE IS THE BEARDED HEADS OF GRAIN\n HE IS THE LEAF AND BRANCH AND BARK\n HE IS THE LORD OF HORSE AND BOAR\n HE IS THE BLACKTHORN ON THE MOUND\n HE IS THE PULSE OF WOODLAND'S HEART\n HE IS THE HOME AND HOLY GROUND\n HE IS THE SALMON IN THE POOL\n HE IS THE WINNER OF THE MEAD\n HE IS THE HAZEL AND THE ASH\n HE IS THE SECRET IN THE REED\n HE IS THE SPEAKER OF THE RUNE\n HE IS THE CORACLE ON SEA\n HE IS THE SWALLOWED AND REBORN\n HE IS THE RIDER OF THE TREE\n \n When all have danced to satiation, bring the dancing to a close,\n then say:\n \n LOOK AROUND AND SEE THE ALL IN YOUR SISTERS! REACH OUT AND\n EMBRACE THE GOD YOU SEE THERE!\n \n Feel the presence of the God\n \n What/how do you feel now?\n 2874","title":"Internet Book of Shadows: Reclaiming The God (Women's Rit...","type":"page"}