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~  January Supplemental  ~

 

 Sound—Evoking Spirit in Ritual Theatre

By Xia, Founder and Director of Temple of the Goddess

  

Sound . . . simply vibration . . . traveling through space, evoking spirit as many expressions in ritual theatre; music, song, myth, liturgies, soundscape, poetry, and chanting . . . all woven together to create an experience of the sacred.

 

At Temple of the Goddess’ Sabbats, the audience enters the sanctuary which is filled with a musical offering chosen to support the journey the participants are about to undertake. The sounds of this half-hour of opening music are varied and diverse such as the moving sounds of a young cellist, a kirtan band, or one of our temple musicians playing soft guitar chords, all meant to accompany the inner preparation of the participants who have been given a pre-ritual activity. At Spring Equinox this year, each person took a pencil and paper before entering the sanctuary to answer the question: What seeds do you wish to symbolically plant for 2011? While listening to the music, they contemplated the life they wished to create in the coming year, wrote down their dream seeds, the first step to manifestation, then placed them in a planting basket on the Spring Altar.

 

Our 2011 spring ritual focused on the rebirth of the Goddess Inanna. The journey began on Hallow’s Eve with the descent of Kore. At Hallows, the myth of Kore’s journey into the underworld mirrored our own journey into the dark of winter. “Each life is a story, a personal myth unfolding. We are the storytellers . . . writing the stories of our lives, our journeys revealed, dreams discovered . . .” Our spring myth, “Inanna Rising: Integration of the Dark Divine” was a celebration of Inanna’s resurrection, the blessed rebirth of the Earth, and our own divine renewal. Like Inanna, we die, are reborn, and rise again . . . to share with the world what we learned when we were underground.

 

At spring our evening of ritual theatre opened with a song and meditation on the paths and possibilities before us. In song, dance and spoken word, we explore the power and potential that comes with Resurrection.

 

The pre-ritual activity and music is followed by a brief welcome and grounding prayer written to set the evening’s intention and lead to the opening song, sung by one of our soloists or the Temple of the Goddess choir, often accompanied by one or more dancers. We began our spring journey with Do You Know Where You’re Going To by Michael Masser and Gerald Goffin and sung by Eryyka Jiminez with our Temple Musical Ensemble.

 

Do you know where you're going to?
Do you like the things that life is showing you?
Where are you going to? Do you know?
Do you get what you're hoping for?
When you look behind you there's no open door
What are you hoping for?
Do you know?

 

The Temple Musical Ensemble led by musical director, Ananda, consists of a core group of guitarists, drummers, and keyboardist who also play a variety of other instruments such as flute, harmonium, cello, and violin. The core musicians are Ananda, Patrick Cleary, and David Jacks. There are other gifted, professional musicians who join us as their schedules permit.

 

At this point in the ritual we usually cast a circle using music from Pagan singer/ songwriters such as Lisa Thiel (http://www.sacreddream.com/) or Wendy Rule (http://www.wendyrule.com/). Our spring circle was cast with facilitators in each of the four directions and a priestess with a fire bowl in the center representing spirit to The Circle is Cast by Robert Gass, based on a traditional Wiccan invocation, and sung by Ananda with the Goddess Choir and Temple Musical Ensemble.

 

By the earth,
This is her body.
By the earth,
Mother of us all.
By the earth,
Future and past.
The circle is cast.

By the air,
This is her breath.
By the air,
Sweet wind of life.
By the air,
From the first to the last.
The circle is cast.

By the fire of her bright spirit,
Shining candles in the night,
By the fire of her bright spirit.
Shine your light on me.

By the waters,
This is her blood.
By the waters,
The calm and the flood.
By the living waters,
Running slow, running fast.
The circle is cast.


Chorus: Yemaya, Innana, Rhiannon, Cebele, Chicomecoatl, Akewa, Aphrodite, Demeter, Gaia, Athena,  Shekina, Ganga, Pele, Uma, Kali, Hera, Hecate, Meboze, Oya, Paso Wee, Diana

 

Our rituals include shamanic and ceremonial chants that do not depend on the power of words to move the listener into a deeply spiritual space. Artist Miranda Rondeau (http://www.facebook.com/mirandarondeau) uses a frame drum and her voice to Call in the Ancient Ones to Open the Temple of the Goddess Doors . . . a haunting and ancient vocal performance that goes deep into the psyche of the listeners.  SEQ CHAPTER \h \r 1Miranda says, "Our voice is one of the most untapped, unexplored musical gifts we possess. It is an instrument of creative expression, affirmation and healing. For ages, song has been used as an integral part of daily life, as well as for significant rites of passage. People sang their prayers and devotions. They sang while planting, cooking, and mending. They sang to uplift and to commune with one another."

 

Another powerful offering has come through the ceremonial voice and drumming of temple priest and shaman, Chokaé Lochran, whose sound invocations both cleanse and ground the audience. Chokaé (http://www.facebook.com/people/Chokae-Kalekoa/552646431) is a pipe carrier and member of the Muhu Tasen Bear Clan and the sacred chants he brings to the temple are passed down from  SEQ CHAPTER \h \r 1Seminole Medicine Man Thunder Horse Nokus Harjo. Chokaé’s voice brings a much appreciated and diverse sound from Pagans in the Native American traditions.

 

We also offer opportunities for the audience to offer their voices in sound by participating in call and response liturgies which have been written over the years. These empowering spoken word pieces were written in the call and response format of more traditional and mainstream religions with the idea that there is a great deal of “spiritual capital” in repetition. In tune with the theme of spring renewal and planting, this Spring Equinox our liturgy was I Am the Gardener of My Life.

 

I Am the Gardener of My Life by Xia

Call and Response Spoken Word Goddess Liturgy

Celebrant: Priestess or Priest

People: I am the Gardener of my life.

 

I am the Gardener of my life.

I plant the seeds of my desires.

I nurture the source of my dreams.

I am the Gardener of my life.

 

I am the Gardener of my life.

I plant the seeds of my desires

I cultivate the growth of all my hopes.

I am the Gardener of my life.

 

I am the Gardener of my life.

I plant the seeds of my desires

I discard the weeds of fear and limitation

that would block my emergence into the light.

I am the Gardener of my life.

 

I am the Gardener of my life.

I plant the seeds of my desires

I water the commitment to my highest aspirations.

I am the Gardener of my life.

 

I am the Gardener of my life.

I plant the seeds of my desires

I glean the lessons of my deepest growth.

I am the Gardener of my life.

 

I am the Gardener of my life.

I plant the seeds of my desires

I harvest the fruit of my work and dedication.

I am the Gardener of my life.

 

I am the Gardener of my life.

I nurture and protect the seeds of my heart.

I create my world with care and intention.

I am the Gardener of my life.

 

You can find more Pagan and Goddess spoken word liturgies by going to the Temple of the Goddess website at http://templeofthegoddess.org/goddessliturgy.htm.

 

Before moving into our one-act myth we also offer poems and songs—from a variety of styles including musicals as well as many contemporary artists such as k. d. lang’s I Dream of Spring sung by David Jacks in our spring ritual—all chosen to guide the participants on a spiritual and artistic journey in preparation for the evening’s myth and enactment.

 

At some point in the evening the theatre lights will come up so that both the participants and facilitators can join their voices together in reading the Guiding Principles of Temple of the Goddess.

 

Ø   We believe every person is the living embodiment of the Divine and a manifestation of Divine Immanence.

 

Ø  We respect that every person is their own spiritual authority and no one can define the Sacred and Divine for anyone else.

 

Ø  We recognize that there are many paths to the Divine, symbolized by the many “goddesses” and “gods” of all cultures and all lands.

 

Ø  We support an ideology and spirituality of partnership of relations based on equality, reciprocity, and caring as opposed to domination and control.

 

Ø  Though we recognize the Divine in many forms, the focus of that which we call the Divine is manifested in the feminine as “Goddess”.

 

Ø  We respect and love Mother Earth, Gaia, as a sacred entity who is part of and connected to a vast living cosmos.

 

Ø  We believe the emergence of the feminine consciousness, in balance with the masculine, is the greatest hope for humanity and the planet.

 

Ø  The feminine consciousness is the ability to create, nurture and enhance life.

 

Ø  We accept the abundant goodness of creation which purports that all beings are meant to live in joy, love, and harmony.

 

Ø  We believe in a morality and ethics in which the primary imperative is to harm none.

 

Our one-act myths are the core of the ritual theatre experience. The original myths often include songs such as our 2011 Spring Equinox myth. In this myth, Erishkigal calls Inanna down into her underworld domain with Wendy Rule’s song of Inanna.

 

Inanna, Inanna, Inanna

Queen of the dawn

Jewel of the sky

Symbol of all that is beautiful and must die

Take off your robe

Put down your crown

Bow to the Serpentine sister who called you down.

 

We follow Inanna as she descends into the Underworld of her sister Erishkigal, her shadow-self. This ancient myth is filled with powerful symbolism of the shadow. The shadow is not to be ignored or conquered, but must be embraced and integrated into the conscious ego. The temple myths are often accompanied by a soundscape that simulates thunder or other sounds that enhance the story and performance.

 

In her descent, Inanna is confronted by forces that challenge and strip her of the outer persona of the ego. She must enter the realm of the Dark Goddess, Erishkigal, and meet the shadow with herself laid bare . . . stripped of all that she thought she was. The work of meeting and embracing the shadow is a divine dance of integration. Yet integration requires the ultimate sacrifice, death. The old self, as we've always known it to be, must die so that a new self can be reborn. After Inanna’s death, Erishkigal resurrects Inanna with the last verse of Rule’s song.

 

Up from the dark

Release the night

Out of the shadow ascending to daylight

Share with the world

What you have found

When you were underground

Inanna, Inanna, Inanna

 

As Inanna steps back into her robe of power and her crown of authority, the Goddess choir sends her off with Lisa Thiel’s rousing song of Inanna.

 

Oh Inanna. Oh Inanna. Oh Inanna.

It is you who teaches us to

Die be reborn and rise again

Die be reborn and rise again

Die be reborn and rise.

 

I am the maiden from the Earth arising

planting the seeds that grow in the spring

I am the maiden from the Earth arising

Teach us to grow the garden of our dreams

 

As Inanna exits, the audience is invited to participate and create their own spring enactment. Accompanied by the drumming and sounding of the temple musical ensemble, the participants dance or meditate and have the opportunity to visit Erishkigal in her Garden of Eternal Life where she gives them a gift, a charm of integration, to remind them of the power of wholeness. They can plant their own dream seeds as a holy symbol of all they wish to grow in 2011.

 

When the drumming and dancing come to an end, the choir sings a song chosen to ground the energies in the sanctuary while communion cookies are passed out to the audience. At our spring rite the choir sang Blessing by Donna Hebert. When everyone has their communion cookie, we say together, “We partake of Her body and give thanks, in remembrance of Her never-ending Circle of Life.”

 

Our rituals always end by opening the circle with Temple of the Goddess’ original musical liturgy written and sung by Ananda, our music director. This last piece of music includes the audience as they lift their voices to respond in opening the circle and offering their thanks. If you would like to hear a live recording of this musical liturgy posted on our Temple of the Goddess website, go to http://templeofthegoddess.org/goddessliturgy.htm.

 

Opening the Circle

Temple of the Goddess Liturgy: Call and Response

Celebrant: Ananda

People:    “Blessed Be You

 

Spirits of Earth, the North                    Spirits of Water, the West

We honor your gifts                             We honor your gifts

Blessed be You                                    Blessed be You

Blessed Be You                                  Blessed Be You

 

Spirits of Fire, the South                      Spirits of Air, the East

We honor your gifts                            We honor your gifts

Blessed be You                                   Blessed Be You

Blessed Be You                                  Blessed Be You

 

Words by Ananda. Music: EPITAPH OF SEIKILOS (Greek Skolion from a Greek grave stele from the first century CE)

 

Offering Thanks

Temple of the Goddess Liturgy: Call and Response

Celebrant: Ananda

People: “We Remember You”

 

We offer our thanks                            In gratefulness

Our hopes and our dreams                    In thankfulness

To heal ourselves                                To heal ourselves

To heal the Earth                                To heal the Earth

We Remember You                             We Remember You

We Remember You                            We Remember You

 

Words by Ananda. Music: Classical Liturgy

 

As the evening of ritual theatre comes to a close we stand together knowing that the circle is open but unbroken . . . merry meet and merry part and merry meet again. For this one evening the mythical journey of the participants has come to an end and their voices rise in a joyful babble of celebration and community while sharing their experiences over refreshments outside the sanctuary.

 

It is through sound, in all its many expressions . . . woven together, and evoked with the vibration of spirit, which carries ritual theatre from beginning to end—opening act to closing liturgy—and creates a living experience of the sacred.

 

© 2011

© All Liturgies and Guiding Principles are copyright of Temple of the Goddess

 

Xia

Founder and Director

Temple of the Goddess, Pasadena, California

Director@TempleoftheGoddess.org

www.templeofthegoddess.org

 


 

 

 

You are sitting around a fire after a hard day of work. The air cools and the sun sets, the frogs and crickets begin singing as the sky darkens. Suddenly the person you have been eagerly awaiting leaps to the center of the circle. Your Shaman begins her story. You have heard the story a hundred times, but the antics of the animals and the wisdom in the story never fail to give you pleasure. As she weaves her tale, the knowledge that every thing is alive, carrying its own power and wisdom, soothes your soul.

 

Tonight is a tale from the Native American group, the Caddo. The Caddo traditionally inhabited much of what is now East Texas, northern Louisiana, and portions of southern Arkansas and Oklahoma.

 

This story is about Buffalo Woman. For Native Americans of the Plains, Buffalo was the bringer of abundance, a sacred creature who provided for the People. Buffalo reminds us to be grateful for the abundance in our lives and to understand that all life whatever form or path it takes, is sacred.

 

Buffalo Woman

Native American Folktale

 

Retrieved from http://worldoftales.com/Native_American_folktales/Native_American_Folktale_4.html

 

Snow Bird, the Caddo medicine man, had a handsome son. When the boy was old enough to be given a man's name, Snow Bird called him Braveness because of his courage as a hunter. Many of the girls in the Caddo village wanted to win Braveness as a husband, but he paid little attention to any of them.
 

One morning he started out for a day of hunting, and while he was walking along looking for wild game, he saw someone ahead of him sitting under a small elm tree. As he approached, he was surprised to find that the person was a young woman, and he started to turn aside.


"Come here," she called to him in a pleasant voice. Braveness went up to her and saw that she was very young and very beautiful.


"I knew you were coming here," she said, "and so I came to meet you."


"You are not of my people," he replied. "How did you know that I was coming this way?"


"I am Buffalo Woman," she said. "I have seen you many times before, from afar. I want you to take me home with you and let me stay with you."


"I can take you home with me," Braveness answered her, "but you must ask my parents if you can stay with us."


They started for his home at once, and when they arrived there Buffalo Woman asked Braveness's parents if she could stay with them and become the young man's wife. "If Braveness wants you for his wife, we will be pleased," said Snow Bird, the medicine man. "It is time that he had someone to love."


And so Braveness and Buffalo Woman were married in the custom of the Caddo people and lived happily together for several moons. One day she asked him, "Will you do whatever I may ask of you, Braveness?"


"Yes," he replied, "if what you ask is not unreasonable."


"I want you to go with me to visit my people."


Braveness said that he would go, and the next day they started for her home, she leading the way. After they had walked a long distance they came to some high hills, and all at once she turned round and looked at Braveness and said, "You promised me that you would do anything I say."


"Yes," he answered.


"Well," she said, "my home is on the other side of this high hill. I will tell you when we get to my mother. I know there will be many coming there to see who you are, and some may provoke you and try to make you angry, but do not allow yourself to become angry with any of them. Some may try to kill you."


"Why should they do that?" asked Braveness.


"Listen to what I am about to tell you," she said. "I knew you before you knew me. Through magic I made you come to me that first day. I said that some will try to make you angry, and if you show anger at even one of them, the others will join in fighting you until they have killed you. They will be jealous of you. The reason is that I refused many who wanted me."


"But you are now my wife," Braveness said.


"I have told you what to do when we get there," Buffalo Woman continued. "Now I want you to lie down on the ground and roll over twice."


Braveness smiled at her, but he did as she had told him to do. He rolled over twice, and when he stood up he found himself changed into a Buffalo.


For a moment Buffalo Woman looked at him, seeing the astonishment in his eyes. Then she rolled over twice, and she also became a Buffalo. Without saying a word she led him to the top of the hill. In the valley off to the west, Braveness could see hundreds and hundreds of Buffalo.


"They are my people," said Buffalo Woman. "This is my home."


When the members of the nearest herd saw Braveness and Buffalo Woman coming, they began gathering in one place, as though waiting for them. Buffalo Woman led the way, Braveness following her until they reached an old Buffalo cow, and he knew that she was the mother of his beautiful wife.


For two moons they stayed with the herd. Every now and then, four or five of the young Buffalo males would come around and annoy Braveness, trying to arouse his anger, but he pretended not to notice them. One night, Buffalo Woman told him that she was ready to go back to his home, and they slipped away over the hills.


When they reached the place where they had turned themselves into Buffalo, they rolled over twice on the ground and became a man and a woman again. "Promise me that you will not tell anyone of this magical transformation," Buffalo Woman said. "If people learn about it, something bad will happen to us."


They stayed at Braveness's home for twelve moons, and then Buffalo Woman asked him again to go with her to visit her people. They had not been long in the valley of the Buffalo when she told Braveness that the young males who were jealous of him were planning to have a foot-race. "They will challenge you to race and if you do not outrun them they will kill you," she said.


That night Braveness could not sleep. He went out to take a long walk. It was a very dark night without moon or stars, but he could feel the presence of the Wind spirit.


"You are young and strong," the Wind spirit whispered to him, "but you cannot outrun the Buffalo without my help. If you lose, they will kill you. If you win, they will never challenge you again.


"What must I do to save my life and keep my beautiful wife?" asked Braveness.


The Wind spirit gave him two things. "One of these is a magic herb," said the Wind spirit. "The other is dried mud from a medicine wallow. If the Buffalo catch up with you, first throw behind you the magic herb. If they come too close to you again, throw down the dried mud."


The next day was the day of the race. At sunrise the young Buffalo gathered at the starting place. When Braveness joined them, they began making fun of him, telling him he was a man buffalo and therefore had not the power to outrun them. Braveness ignored their jeers, and calmly lined up with them at the starting point.


An old Buffalo started the race with a loud bellow, and at first Braveness took the lead, running very swiftly. But soon the others began gaining on him, and when he heard their hard breathing close upon his heels, he threw the magic herb behind him. By this time he was growing very tired and thought he could not run any more. He looked back and saw one Buffalo holding his head down and coming very fast, rapidly closing the space between him and Braveness. Just as this Buffalo was about to catch up with him, Braveness threw down the dried mud from the medicine wallow.


Soon he was far ahead again, but he knew that he had used up the powers given him by the Wind spirit. As he neared the goal set for the race, he heard the pounding of hooves coming closer behind him. At the last moment, he felt a strong wind on his face as it passed him to stir up dust and keep the Buffalo from overtaking him. With the help of the Wind spirit, Braveness crossed the goal first and won the race. After that, none of the Buffalo ever challenged him again, and he and Buffalo Woman lived peacefully with the herd until they were ready to return to his Caddo people.


Not long after their return to Braveness's home, Buffalo Woman gave birth to a handsome son. They named him Buffalo Boy, and soon he was old enough to play with the other children of the village. One day while Buffalo Woman was cooking dinner, the boy slipped out of the lodge and went to join some other children at play. They played several games and then decided to play that they were Buffalo. Some of them lay on the ground to roll like Buffalo, and Buffalo Boy also did this. When he rolled over twice, he changed into a real Buffalo calf. Frightened by this, the other children ran for their lodges.


About this time his mother came out to look for him, and when she saw the children running in fear she knew that something must be wrong. She went to see what had happened and found her son changed into a Buffalo calf. Taking him up in her arms, she ran down the hill, and as soon as she was out of sight of the village she turned herself into a Buffalo and with Buffalo Boy started off toward the west.


Late that evening when Braveness returned from hunting he could find neither his wife nor his son in the lodge. He went out to look for them, and someone told him of the game the children had played and of the magic that had changed his son into a Buffalo calf.


At first, Braveness could not believe what they told him, but after he had followed his wife's tracks down the hill and found the place where she had rolled he knew the story was true. For many moons, Braveness searched for Buffalo Woman and Buffalo Boy, but he never found them again.

 

۞

 

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