Rite of Passage
for Aubrey Robin Robinson
Rite held Saturday 6 June 1992; Robin left us Wednesday 13 May 1992
Priestess: Mary A. Axford (Reannon)
Directions: All sit in space where circle is to be drawn.
Priestess draws the circle, saying:
Priestess
I draw this circle for a rite of remembrance for our beloved Robin. Let all who will join this circle of their own free will. This space is now sacred and pure, full of peace and love and free from all harm.
The watchtowers are now called, beginning with the East, called by Becky:
Guardians of the East, Spirits of Air,
who rejoiced in the quick mind of our Beloved,
join us in our remembrance and release of Robin.
All chant the East chant once slowly:
We ride upon the wind to the halls of the mind.
By the cleansing of the breeze are our thoughts refined.
Todd now calls the South watchtower:
Guardians of the South, Spirits of Fire,
who rejoiced in the brightness of the spirit of our beloved,
join us now in our remembrance and release of Robin.
All chant the South chant once slowly:
Truth is the fire that will break our chains
and we will stop the fires of destruction.
Healing is the fire running through our veins
and we will rise with the fires of Freedom.
Holly now calls the West watchtower:
Guardians of the West, Spirits of Water,
who rejoiced in the loving heart of our beloved,
join us in our remembrance and release of Robin.
All chant the West chant once, slowly:
The ocean is the beginning of the Earth,
The ocean is the beginning of the Earth,
All life comes from the sea.
All lifecomes from the sea.
David now calls the North watchtower:
Guardians of the North, Spirits of Earth,
who rejoiced in the strong body of our beloved
and in his connection with the Earth our Mother,
join us in remembrance and release of Robin.
All chant the North chant once slowly.
Fur and feather and scale and skin
Different without but the same within.
Many of body, but one of soul
Through all creatures are the Gods made whole.
Priestess lights Goddess candle, saying:
Goddess, spiritual mother of Robin, join us with thy
loving light as we remember and release our beloved.
Priestess lights God candle, saying:
God, spiritual father of Robin, join us with thy loving
light as we remember and release our beloved.
Partholen, come forward and draw the Moon unto me that the
Lady may dwell within me.
Mark comes forward and kneels before the Priestess and ritually Draws Down the Moon (invokes the Goddess into the body of the Priestess) .
Blessed be thy feet, that have brought thee in these ways (kisses her feet).
Blessed be thy knees, that shall kneel at the sacred altar (kisses her knees).
Blessed be thy womb, without which we would not be (kisses her on the stomach).
Blessed be thy breasts, formed in beauty (kisses her on the chest).
Blessed by thy lips, that shall utter the sacred Names (kisses her on the lips).
I invoke and call upon thee, Mighty Mother of us all, bringer of all fruitfulness;
by seed and root, by stem and bud, by leaf and flower and fruit,
by life and love do I invoke thee to descend upon the body of this thy servant and priestess.
Hear ye the words of the Star Goddess;
she in the dust of whose feet are the hosts of heaven,
and whose body encircles the Universe.
Priestess gives the charge of the Star Goddess (written by Doreen Valiente):
I who am the beauty of the green earth, and the white Moon among the stars, and the mystery of the waters, and the desire of the heart of man, call unto thy soul. Arise, and come unto me. For I am the soul of nature, who gives life to the universe. From me all things proceed, and unto me all things must return; and before my face, beloved of Gods and of men, let thine innermost divine self be enfolded in the rapture of the infinite. Let my worship be within the heart that rejoiceth; for behold, all acts of love and pleasure are my rituals. And therefore let there be beauty and strength, power and compassion, honor and humility, mirth and reverence within you. And thou who thinkest to seek for me, know thy seeking and yearning shall avail thee not unless thou knowest the mystery; that if that which thou seekest thou findest not within thee, thou wilt never find it without thee. For behold, I have been with thee from the beginning,; and I am that which is attained at the end of desire. This is the end of the Charge.
Priestess kneels, head to the ground, hood covering the face. Slowly she raises up, and softly chants once:
We all come from the Mother,
and to her we shall return
Like a drop of rain,
rolling to the ocean.
Hoof and horn,
hoof and horn.
All that dies shall be reborn.
Corn and grain, corn and grain,
All that falls shall rise again.
Priestess now speaks as the Goddess:
I am the Goddess, speaking through my priestess Reannon.
It was I who awoke to the black void of nothingness, alone but with the great gift of self-knowledge. Knowledge that I was the beginning of all things.
In my excitement, I split and became two, and before I ever knew loneliness my lover was with me. From our love was born the stars like dust; from our joining untold planets came into being; from our joyous laughter did life begin its slow spiral dance. Each atom, each molecule is a part of us and we delighted in each and the vast web of being joining all.
We looked at each other, my beloved and I, and said, Look how we became two, and see the wonders that sprang of becoming one again. If we split into more and more fragments, each connected to the whole, would we not find new ways of loving, and joining, and creating? And if we forget who we are, then over and over we will have the joy of discovering ourselves anew.
But we must be able to find remembrance, so there must be death to bring us back to ourselves and start us onto a new path, a new discovery. For to grow, all things must change. And so it was done, and my beloved and myself became many. Intelligent life was born, and with it love was discovered in many new ways, on many planets beneath many suns.
But we did not know that forgetting could be so complete, that any could forget wholly that they were a part of us, now and always. We did not know the pain of such forgetting. We did not know the cancer of loneliness, and the fear, hatred, and disease it would bring. How could we know that an illusion - that of separateness - could bring such terror and despair? For WE could not forget. And every pain, every hurt, we feel to the root of our being.
So every time you turn away from the pain by discovering and sharing love, laugh in fellowship, remember us by joining in celebration, is precious to us. Whenever your mind is lit by the excitement of knowledge, whenever your will is kindled to creation, or your heart moved, or your body pleasured, we share these with you and rejoice.
If we feel to the fullest every atom, can you think we would forget your beloved? We were with him in his every moment of discovery or truth or love. We shared every moment of pain, bitterness, and despair. When he let go of his ravaged body, my lover and I awaited him, and showed him a place of rest and recovery. He is there now, awaiting the time of new hope and new learning. So love him now, remember him, and release him that you may one day know him and love him again. Believe me as I say that NOTHING AND NO ONE IS EVER LOST.
The Priestess sinks back to the ground, slowly covering her head. Then she sits up and points to the MAIDEN (Julie) who begins to speak:
Maiden:
I speak for the Maiden aspect of the Goddess. I saw him born, this bright, beautiful boy. Look (she laughs delightedly), look, see him begin to walk. He tumbles down, but he rises again. I watched him grow, saw all the fresh moments of discovery, the blossoming of his artististic talents and his first stirrings of love.
The MOTHER (Eleanor) begins to speak:
I speak for the Mother aspect of the Goddess. I watched his Art find him. I was in the audience of every play and every musical performance. I rejoiced in his talent and his beauty (of soul as well as body) that stirred those who watched him and knew him.
The YOUTH (David) begins to speak:
I speak for the Youth, the aspect of the God in his prime. I knew his passion and his love. In me was his life its deepest, richest, and truest.
The ELDER (Carl) begins to speak:
I speak for the Elder, the aspect of the God at his wisest. I knew him not. He did not live long enough for me to rejoice in the wisdom of his age. And yet, as an Elder does, by who he was he taught lessons to others.
The CRONE (Betty) begins to speak:
I speak for the Crone aspect of the Goddess. It was to me he came to die. It is not I who chooses the time of endings, but 'tis I who saw him safe through it, so that he might change and prepare to be born anew. For life is a cycle of beginnings and growth and endings, and each cycle brings us farther along the spiral Dance of life.
The Priestess reads the tale of The Goddess in the Kingdom of Death (from Starhawk's The Spiral Dance; San Francisco: Harper & Row, 1979, pp. 159-160):
In this world, the Goddess is seen in the moon, the light that shines in darkness, the rain bringer, mover of the tides, Mistress of mysteries. And as the moon waxes and wanes, and walks three nights of its cycle in darkness, so, it is said, the Goddess once spent three nights in the Kingdom of Death. For in love She ever seeks her other Self, and once, in the winter of the year, when He had disappeared from the green earth, She followed Him and came at last to the gates beyond which the living do not go.
The Guardian of the Gate challenged Her, and She stripped Herself of her clothing and jewels, for nothing may be brought into that land. For love, She was bound as all who enter there must be and brought before Death Himself.
He loved Her, and knelt at her feet, laying before her his sword and crown, and gave Her the fivefold kiss, and said, Do not return to the living world, but stay here with Me, and have peace and rest and comfort. But She answered, Why do you cause all things I love and delight in to die and wither away? Lady, He said, It is the fate of all that lives to die. Everything passes, all fades away. I bring comfort and consolation to those who pass the gates, that they may grow young again. But You are my heart's desire - return not, but stay here with Me.
And She remained with him three days and three nights, and at the end of the third night She took up his crown, and it became a circlet that she placed around her neck, saying: Here is the circle of rebirth. Through You all passes out of life, but through Me all may be born again. Everything passes, everything changes. Even death is not eternal. Mine is the mystery of the womb, that is the cauldron of rebirth. Enter into Me and know Me, and You will be free of all fear. For as life is but a journey unto death, so death is but a passage back to life, and in Me the circle is ever turning.
In love, He entered into Her, and so was reborn into life. Yet is He known as Lord of Shadows, the comforter and consoler, opener of the gates, King of the Land of Youth, the giver of peace and rest. But She is the gracious mother of all life; from Her all things proceed and to Her they return again. In Her are the mysteries of death and birth; in Her is the fulfillment of all love.
The Priestess is silent for a moment, then begins to speak:
It is the belief of Witches that souls go through the cycle of Life, Death, and Rebirth many times so that we may learn the lessons of being creative individuals and yet one with the Lord and the Lady. It is our belief that at death souls go to the Summerland, a place of rest where the soul is greeted by the Goddess and God. In the Summerland are all hurts healed. In the Summerland are minds, hearts, and hopes renewed, and new learning begins.
But we also believe that the grief of the loved ones can hold back the healing of the one who has passed and the loved ones also. So in a rite of passage we seek to understand that grieving is necessary, but so is the letting go of the one we love. Memories we have always, and our love for Robin. Grief there will be also, and pain that strikes suddenly for a long time to come. But here, and now, speak to his soul and understand that he has work and learning to do elsewhere, and allow him to do it.
Here are three plants: one for the Robinsons in Valdosta, one for Patty, and one for David. One by one, each of you come take the watering can, and water the plants. As you water, release Robin. Find peace, if you can, in knowing he is safe now, and free from pain, and able to grow again. Know that he is with us this night as we say goodbye, and feels our love for him.
Priestess draws pentagram over the plants, explaining that it is an ancient symbol of protection and of humanity's connection to divinity.
Priestess:Beloved Robin, we thought to have you with us longer. We grieve that that is not to be and we miss you. We rejoice in having known you, in having you as part of our lives. We wish you peace, love, hope, and learning in your journey to the Summerland and beyond. We love you.
Priestess waters the plants, and passes the can on to others. After all have participated in this, she says:
Beloved Robin, stay with us yet a while longer as we break bread, and drink, and remember you.
Eleanor and Todd bless the Ale, and it is passed around to all. Carl and Becky bless the bread and it is passed. All eat and drink, and any who wish tell stories of Robin.
Priestess rises and speaks:
Dearest, Beloved Robin, it is time. Farewell. We await the time we will know you again. We love you.
Priestess snuffs the God candle, saying:
Lord of Wisdom and Light, thou who knowest death intimately and also rebirth, guard our Beloved in his new life. Thank thee for thy presence tonight. Hail and farewell.
Priestess snuffs the Goddess candle, saying:
Lady of Wisdom and Light, thou whose losses to death are infinite but from whose womb each is reborn, nurture our Beloved in his new life. Thank thee for thy presence tonight. Hail and farewell.
The watchtowers are dismissed, beginning with the North. Banishing pentagrams are drawn. All join hands for the closing chant:
May the circle be open, but unbroken.May the love of the Goddess be ever in your heart.
Merry meet, and merry part, and merry meet again.
(Repeat chant several times).
Goodnight, sweet prince.