You Are Here And You Are Needed
Blessed almost Full Moon, Miracles. needed
Today I have something special – a ritual designed for this Full Moon – that speaks to a trend I have been seeing of late.
In so many of the conversations I have had with students, clients, and folks who write to me after (or while) they are reading Making Magic I have heard the same refrains:
I am tired.
Worn out.
Tapped out.
Exhausted.
I just want to take a nap.
I’m over it.
Does any of it matter?
Underneath all of these perfectly understandable feelings I hear a bigger question: do I even matter?
And it can seem, in the face of global pandemics and crisis upon crisis, that we don’t.
It gets easier every day to believe there really is nothing a single person can do to make things better, to heal the hurt places, or mend the tears or protect what is precious.
But, here’s the thing, you are here and you are needed.
Mathematically, the odds are against you from the outset. Ancestor upon ancestor, the event upon event had to come together in just the right way for you to be right here, right now.
As is often the case, math points the way to magic.
You are here and you are needed because you have one of a kind, perfectly unique, and absolutely required magic for this world right here and right now.
This is a ritual that on the one hand, reminds us of that, and on the other, calls that magic – and whatever sustains it – forward. Because really loves, now is the time.
Ritual ~
If you want a PDF version of this ritual, you can download one right here.
Prompts for Ritual Petition/Prayer:
What magic do I have to share?
Who/What is it for?
What nourishes that magic and keeps it flowing?
Time:
As long as it takes. This ritual could be 5 minutes or 5 days or 5 weeks
Materials:
Ingredients for Sacred Bathing pre-ritual work. For more on Sacred Bathing go here.
Petition/Prayer
An object/image/word that represents the magic you know you are meant to share.
An object/image/word that represents whatever it is that nourishes that magic and keeps it flowing.
Birdseed
Any other ritual accouterments that you would like (candles, incense, altar, rocks, dirt, plants, talismans), students of mine will want to have their cords for this rite as they should for all rituals and ceremonies.
Timing:
You may begin this ritual on the day of the Full Moon but it need not be completed on the same day and most likely will not be. Feeling, thinking, and knowing your way into the prompts is, as always, the most important pre-ritual work that you can do, so as always, take your time with this piece, it may need several days to unfold, answers may come to you in bits and pieces, through dreams and snatches of song, and found letters – let the magic have its time to work and do not rush it. On the other hand, if you immediately know the needed responses then honor that as well and get down to the writing of your petition/making of your prayer.
Process:
There are two pre-ritual actions required for this work. The first is to work with the given prompts (or the personal prompts that they inspire) and from your answers craft your petition/prayer. You may craft your petition in formal language, in rhyme, in image or movement or song. You may craft it with beads or sacred waters or sacred smoke – it is up to you as always. I recommend words, uttered or written, straight from the heart. If you find you need a little extra assistance, here is a guide:
Blessed Ones whom I hold most dear, thank you for this day, for all the days that I have known and for all the days I have yet to experience. Today I come ready and willing to share (name your unique magic) with the world and whomever or whatever has need of it, especially (name who or what your magic is especially for). I honor this deepest part of myself by ensuring that it is properly cared for, fed, and nourished by many acts, especially (name the actions that most nourish your magic) so that I am able to give and receive in right and good measure. For I know that I am here and that I am needed. I hear the call and always will respond as I can in the ways available to me. Amen/May it be/And so it is
Once you have your petition/prayer you may gather up the rest of the needed materials, including the ingredients you will want to incorporate into your pre-ritual bath.
I will not tell you what ingredients to use because this is your pre-ritual bath and I trust that you know what ingredients are most appropriate for YOU and for this particular work.
Set up your working area so that the image/word/object that represents your magic is at the center of your working space and the birdseed is on top of it. Below the pile of birdseed is the image/object/word that represents what nourishes your particular magic. It is positioned below because what nourishes your magic is the foundation from which your magic springs.
Arrange any other ritual accouterments as you like. Those who work with a cord or lasso, make sure that it is applied to the part of your body where it will be most supportive.
Cultivate Calmness.
Open the space for ritual in whatever way you are accustomed to. If this is brand new to you, you may simply say:
I stand between the worlds where space and time are limitless and absolute. As I talk, may I speak, as I hear may I listen, as I look may I see, as I smell may I sense, as I taste may I savor. May my Holy Helpers, Ancestors, and Descendants bear witness to my work as I strive for right relationship with all beings. Amen/May it be/And so it is.
Scoop up some of the birdseed into the palm of your hands.
Take in a deep breath of gratitude for your physical body and as you exhale in thanks blow your breath into the birdseed.
Take in a deep breath of gratitude for the land where you live and the creatures seen and unseen who are part of it and as you exhale in thanks blow your breath into the birdseed.
Take in a deep breath of gratitude for the ones that you love and as you exhale in thanks blow your breath into the birdseed.
Take in a deep breath of gratitude for the many paths you travel and as you exhale in thanks blow your breath into the birdseed.
Take in a deep breath of gratitude for the ones who have come before and the ones who will come after and as you exhale in thanks blow your breath into the birdseed.
Finally, take in a deep breath of gratitude for your magic and as you exhale in thanks blow your breath into the birdseed.
Place the birdseed back where it was.
Utter your petition/prayer over the working space in whatever way is best. If your petition/prayer is a dance then you dance it, if it is a song then you sing it, if it is a painting then you show it, etc.
As you are ready take the birdseed outside and either fill up a bird feeder or scatter it on the ground, as you do so, you may say the following:
With each seed taken up by each winged, furred, or fanged creature, so my magic is taken up and into this world that so sorely needs it. For each life that is somewhat sustained by this food, so my magic is sustained by (insert the name of what it is that nourishes your magic) and I commit to ensuring that I am as well nourished as I can be at all times. Amen and may it be so.
You may close the ritual space as you like or say the following:
Gratitude to my Ancestors, Descendants, and Holy Helpers for bearing witness to my work. Gratitude to the winged, furred, and fanged creatures for carrying my magic forward, here in between the worlds I have learned anew to savor, sense, see, listen, and speak. May these acts bring and keep me in right relationship with all beings ever and always. Amen/May it be/And so it is.
Conclude the ritual with whatever it is that nourishes your unique magic.
Place the images/words/objects that represent your magic and that which nourishes it somewhere where you can see them and learn from them over the next month.
needed needed