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Honoring the Elements Sounding the Bell and Welcome Ollis: rings Tibetan bells and speaks: Welcome everyone. My name is Ollis Hughes. I am a member of this church and a member of the Covenant of Unitarian Universalist Pagans, known as CUUPS, and Circles in the Woods CUUPS is a committee
within this church. Today our Sunday service will be a little different from the services that you may be accustom to and will be presented in a more traditional ritual format. Normally
we would have ‘ward summoning’ which is a greeting and the anointing or blessing as each person enters. Most members of our CUUPS chapter follow the Wiccan path, so today’s service we be based on Wiccan ritual basics. There will be coffee after the service, so we hope you will stay to socialize. This will give you a chance to personally meet some of us and ask questions. Again, I’d like to welcome everyone. This church is a member congregation of the Unitarian Universalist Association. We are a theologically diverse non-creedal community that uses a variety of sources
and we encourage each individual to freely seek and discover truth and goodness—not as determined by any particular source of authority, but by our own investigation and by searching our own conscience. It is our vision to be
a center for liberal religious education for people of all ages. Opening Words Jamie: Let us remember that we exist because of the elements; air, fire, water and earth, for without them we would not be. Chalice Lighting Mary lights the chalice candle and says: I light the chalice with the words of Edwin A. Lane As we touch the flame to her lips, joining fire and air, Welcoming Committee Mary: Would our membership committee representative please come forward at this time and introduce any visitors here today. Membership comes up. Jamie: We will now have our offering. Remember that what you give will come back to you three fold. So be generous. If this is your first time here please let the basket pass you by and let this be our gift to you.
Offertory Music – Circle Round – Witch Song - Track 12 Chris and Ruth will stand opposite sides of the circle and will start the baskets around and stay there to collect the basket that will be coming from the other end. Mary will handle the balcony. Baskets will be brought up to the
center altar. Announcements Jamie: I would now like to draw your attention to the announcements in the bulletin and ask anyone who has a brief announcement that is not in the Order of Service to please come up at this time. While
we are waiting for people to come up, I would like to remind everyone that the church is headed toward a congregational decision on the “What is our dream?” question. Informational material about the possible directions will be in the Domelight, in the Orders of Service, on the web and coming from the pulpit in future services. We are working
toward a congregational decision by November so that the Committee responsible for finding a new settled minister can use the information in its search. If you have questions, please see one of the Committee members (ask
them to raise their hands). Thank you. Joys and Sorrows Jamie: At this time, if any one has a joy or a sorrow that they wish to share, please come up and I will light a candle of joy or compassion for you. When done: And now, I will light a candle for those joys and sorrows that were held within the silence of our hearts as we take a moment for reflection. Music- ‘Blessings’ by Katherine Caldwell Chistrin: And now we have a special treat for you. I would like to introduce my daughter, Katherine Caldwell who will sing ‘ Blessings’. The cleaning witches move to the center of room. Cleansing – Jamie, Ruth, Ashley, Loren
Witches each with a broom will stand back-to-back in the center and say - Loren - North – Banish, banish negativity, be gone. Ruth - West – Be gone hate, be gone anger. Jamie -South – Be gone sorrow, be gone greed. Ashley - East – Be gone all that stand in the way, so this Circle can proceed. Next each person will step out one step and move widdershin around the circle with a sweeping motion toward center (not attendees) with their broom and say: Loren - North – Be gone. Let the earth take you. Ruth - West – Be gone. Let the water break you. Jamie - South – Be gone. Let the fire rake you. Ashley - East – Be gone. Let the winds shake you. All the witches at center pushing broom upward in a ‘cone’ and yell loudly – BE GONE!
Put brooms in box by altar and join the main circle. After this Ashley will be candle and book acolyte. Consecration of Elements The Elements at their quarters: Amy lifts up the incense and says: Blessed be thou Creature of Air, pure essence of the God. I hereby consecrate this incense to thy divine Spirit. Katryna places her hands on either side of the flame of the fire candle. Blessed be thou Creature of Fire, pure essence of the God. I hereby consecrate this flame to thy divine Spirit. Virginia lifts up the bowl of water and says: Blessed be thou Creature of Water, pure essence of the Goddess. I hereby consecrate this water to thy divine Spirit. Rachael lifts up bowl of salt and says: Blessed be thou Creature of Earth, pure essence of the Goddess. I hereby consecrate this salt to thy divine Spirit. All elements will continue to face the circle with their elements as Ollis, starting in the East, walks to each element to empower the blade and Ollis says - May the element of (substitute the correct element here) empower this Blade. After passing all elements, come to the center and Ollis will say - My Lord, I hereby consecrate this blade to thy Divine Spirit. All elements come to the altar. Earth and Water will step forward and join Ollis as he mixes 3 scoops of salt into the water and stirring widdershin - Salt and Water, Inner and outer, Body and Soul, Be Cleansed Cast out all that is harmful! Switch direction to deosil and say – Take in all that is good and healing
By the powers of Life, Death, and Rebirth. So Mote It Be! Circle Casting – Ollis followed by air and salt/water - I cast this circle in perfect love and perfect trust. And as we link with the essences of the elements, may the boundaries of this circle guard and protect us. The circle is cast. I gather the elements energy full and take within me their power. Air, Fire, Water, Earth deosil round the Circle guard. Here lies the boundary of
the Circle; not but love shall enter in and not but love shall emerge from within. So Mote It Be! Quarter Calls – acolyte (Ashley) lights candles
East - Chris I call upon the Spirits of the East South – Christin I call upon the Spirits of the South Katryna will step forward and twirls ribbon. West – Ruth I call upon the Spirits of the West Virginia will step forward with rain stick. North – Loren I call upon the Spirits of the North Rachael will step forward with rattle. God/Goddess – Mary - let the influences of the ancient ones come and converge! Ollis and Mary - Hail and Welcome! Body of ritual: Mary The Ancient Ones divided the world in to four basic elements earth, air, fire and water. And from them they created the world. In the beginning there was neither
matter nor energy, neither was there space nor time, force and form were not. Yet there was Something. Something between Spirit and Void, without form or qualities, the first physical manifestation had existence.
Ollis: The first force, so intense, that space itself was Altered. The form came to be, as the infant universe expanded and changed as naturally as a snowflake forming in the air.
Neither matter nor energy as we know them, but yet both. The Element Fire was born. Katryna waves red ribbon wand. The universe continued to expand, and the one Force became two forces, then three and finally four. Matter and energy became distinguishable, and the Element Earth was born. Rachael shakes rattle. A hundred thousand years went by, and the universe continued to expand until, quite suddenly, the fires cooled, space became transparent to light, and there were great clouds of cool gas, moving freely.
The Element Air was born. Amy sounds wind chimes. The clouds began to draw together, then break apart into smaller clouds and smaller still, until a limit was reached, and a hundred thousand clouds collapsed inward upon themselves, swirling and twisting,
flattening and smoothing, rippling, and organizing themselves. The Element Water was born. Virginia sounds rainstick. For one without the other, neither one would be. So let us today pay tribute to the elements. Mary - We exist because of the elements, for without them, we would not be. So let us today pay tribute to a particular element that you have a special connection with.
Please come forward to choose an element that you would like to give a tribute to and receive a gift from that element. Earth for stability, air for clarity, fire for light, water for renewal. Rachael - Earth will have a bag of polished stones, gift each person and say: Earth offers you the gift of stability. Amy - Air will have feathers, gift each person and say: Air offers you the gift of clarity. Katryna - Fire will have little candles, gift each person and say: Fire offers you the gift of light. Virginia - Water will have a bag of sea shells, gift each person and say: Water offers you the gift of renewal. Wine and Loaf Mary: Love, is the power through which the Lord and Lady have given birth to all energies of the universe. The energy of Love is the source of all life and happiness. But to receive love you must also offer love. The elements one at a time come forward to the altar and retrieve items and say - Loren – Earth - Cakes I am Earth and I offer the fruits from Beneath my blanket. Chris – Air – Pouring Wine in a chalice and passes it to Mary I am air and I offer the Juice of the grapes that I have sweetened with my breath. Christin – Fire - kisses I am Fire and I offer the kiss of passion. Ruth – Water - Juice I am water and I offer the moisture of the fruits that I have nurtured. Mary – with chalice The moon stirs the currents of the oceans The water carries the seed to the shore, The wave plants the seed firmly upon the earth. Ollis – with athame The sun warms the receptive soil, The moist earth hugs and nurtures the seed, The seed opens and a new life begins. Ollis and Mary – And together they blend and merge their energies. Pause and Lower athame For neither one can work without the other, One without the other is incomplete, As with life, there must be death, As with death, there must be rebirth, Only to be born again and again. So Mote It Be! Libation - Mary Lord and Lady accept this offering of gratitude. May you never hunger. May you never thirst. This blessed food and drink will be available to all here to enjoy with the coffee after service. Dismissals – Acolyte (Ashley) extinguishes candles God/Goddess - Offertory Music – Circle Round – Witch Song - Track 12 Ollis - We thank the energies of the elements Mary - and the influences of the ancient ones as they joined and converged with us this night.
Ollis and Mary - Hail and Farewell! North - Rachael shake Rattle Loren – extinguish candle and say - Spirits of the North, Energy of Mother Earth Thank you for your strength and grounding. Hail and Farewell! West - Virginia sounds rain stick Ruth – extinguish candle and say - Spirits of the West, Element of Water Thank you for your cleansing powers. Hail and Farewell! South – Katryna twirls ribbon Christin - extinguish candle and say - Spirits of the South, Element of Fire Thank you for your warmth, intensity and the powers of transformation. Hail and Farewell! East: Amy sounds wind chimes Chris - extinguish candle and say - Spirits of the East, Energy of Air Thank you for the whispers of your wisdom and the power of mindfulness. Hail and Farewell! Extinguishing the Flame - Mary May you go in peace, ever mindful of the elemental energies and the daily gifts they bring to our lives. Closing words Everyone in the center together will say: May the circle be open but unbroken, may divine peace ever present in our hearts.
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