Aids Memorial Ritual
Presented at Dragonfest 1996 and 1997 by the Pagan Rainbow Network
Participants:
- Priestess
- Priest
- Callers in the east, south, west, north, center
- Maiden(s)
On the altar:
- Candles (already lit)
- Big Aids ribbon, if possible
- Pieces of paper
- Pens/pencils
- Helium filled alloons, anchored (note: we have always used at least one condom, and a latex glove, as balloons.)
- Flashlights if being performed at night
Cleansing
Sacred Mother, heal my soul.
Take my misery and make me whole.
Sacred Mother, end my pain.
Turn my sorrow into joy again.
Casting the Circle
Caller in the east begins. Hand to hand the circle is cast. Joins hands with the person to the left, who repeats and joins with the person to the left all the way around the circle, ending again with the Caller in the east.
Calling the Quarters
Caller in the East:
Spirits of the east, creatures of air, in our minds and hearts we call to you. We ask you to lend your powers of intellect and rational thought to bring an end to the holocaust.
Caller in the South:
Spirits of the south, creatures of fire, in our minds and hearts we call to you. We ask you to lend your powers of faith and passion to bring an end to the holocaust.
Caller in the West:
Spirits of the west, creatures of water, in our minds and hearts we call to you. We ask you to lend your powers of love and compassion to bring an to end the holocaust.
Caller in the North:
Spirits of the north, creatures of earth, in our minds and hearts we call to you. We ask you to lend your powers of patience and endurance to bring an end to the holocaust.
Caller in the Center:
Spirits of the center, creatures of our own hopes and desires, in our minds and hearts we call to you. We will join all our powers in love and trust to end the holocaust.
Invocation to Lady and Lord
Priestess:
You who are Mother of All Things, the womb from which sprang all that was, all that is, and all that shall be, we are your children and we are calling to you! Come to us from Your sacred places, the ocean floor and the molten core of the Earth, the tops of the highest mountains, and the desert valleys! By your many names we call you! (A moment of silence follows for each participant to call Her by whatever name each feels most comfortable with.) Be among us in our Work this night!
Priest:
You who are Father of All Things, the seed from which sprang all that was, all that is, and all that shall be, we are your children and we are calling to you! Come to us from Your sacred places, the howling winds and the bright Sun above the Earth, the deepest forest and the majestic plains! By your many names we call you! (A moment of silence follows for each participant to call Him by whatever name each feels most comfortable with.) Be among us in our Work this night!
Body
Priestess:
We are here to remember, to bear witness, and to bring about an end. Think now of your loved ones, your friends, your family. This plague has left few untouched.
Priest:
If you have a memory to share, please step forward. We will proceed deosil and each of you will have an opportunity to speak. If you wish simply to place a name in our memories, please step forward as well. After you have spoken, please come to the altar, where the name of your loved one will be placed with others to go to the sky in a moment of wonder.
Priestess:
If you have no name to share, please step forward as well. If you wish, you may say simply, I will remember. If you wish to remain silent, that wish will be honored.
(This will begin with the officiants, and then proceed deosil until all who wish to have spoken.)
Priestess:
We will sing until the balloons are released, raising a cone of power. We will be raising a cone of power in memory of those whose deaths must not be in vain. As the power rises, please focus on this.
The holocaust called AIDS will not bring us to our knees! We are a strong people, we humans, and we will fight this enemy. There is a cure. It will be found, in our lifetime, and, the threat of AIDS will shrink, like influenza before it, to that of an unpleasant but curable malady.
So it is our will! So it must be!
Sing
We are
We are
We are
We are the children of the Earth and Sky.
We hold
We hold
We hold
We hold a mystery that will never die.
We see
We see
We see
We see the beauty in both sun and rain
We know
We know
We know
We know that death is a door to life again
(repeat until Maiden releases the balloons when the cone peaks. If the ritual is being performed at night -- which is most effective -- train flashlights on the balloons which will rise well out of sight in short order.)
Priestess:
It is done.
Closing
Priestess or Maiden:
We will not dismiss the quarters or cut this circle open. Instead, please turn to face outward, and hold up your hands, palm forward. Feel the perimeter of the circle, and slowly, slowly, push it outward. It will widen as you push, until it encompasses the entire festival grounds. Now push more, and it will widen to encompass the entire region. Push again, until it encompasses the entire state. Again, push the circle outward, until it encompasses the nation, then the continent. Push again, the oceans will not stop you. Push, until this circle we formed together, holding hands and sharing love, encircles the earth with our energy.
Priest:
And thus we may truly say the circle is open but unbroken.
Priestess:
Merry meet and merry part. Go now with the peace of the Lady and the Lord in your hearts.