DuFresne, Lucie Marie-Mai

Canadian Woman Studies / les cahiers de la femme (E-Journal, York University)

Losers, Weepers, Finders, Keepers Lizuteure prtknte &S tartrs d'un atelier sur kz divinitt! pirituellc qui existe en chacune dc now. I am a priestess of Wicca, a contemporary North Ameri- can Goddess-centred religion which celebrates as one ofits mysteries, the immanence ofthe divine within a gendered humanity. The ritual text that follows was first enacted as part of a workshop on discovering the female divine within oneself held as part of the Conference on Female Spirituality at York University in March 1996. Wiccan rituals are characterized in pan by the ephem- eral nature of the texts used. They are often written for a specific purpose and then discarded or else they are improvized on the spot. Some groups follow a standard- ized liturgy but even they will modify the standard texts to fit the moment. My aim in choosingfor the workshop the images and the symbols that follow was to promote in the participants a sense of primordial, oceanic remembrance and thus to foster the possibility for the participants to be "women giving birth to themselves."' Though the work- shop was not restricted to women, onlywornen (about 40) attended and took part in the ritual. The ritual took more than an hour to complete. The language is purposehlly empowering. The partici- pants are invited to engage in actions or to make decisions of their own accord and for their own purposes. The text - directs but does not command. The participants are assumed to be hlly capable ofchoosing for themselves the appropriateness and depth of participation within which they wish to engage. Finally, silence and quiet are recog- nized as important spaces within which personal and individual experience can develop. Note: Italic text is spoken out loud by ritual leader and/ or participants. Set-Up: The altar is arranged on a low, draped table in the centre of the room. Sea shells and coral pieces are used to evoke the sea as strongly as possible. A shell and some stones are placed in a basket (lava, fluorite, chrysocola, clear quartz, amber) so that they may be handed around later. Clear glass altar tools (chalice, Goddess dish, water jug, candle holder) of a simple, round design are chosen. The elements are represented by: airlincense stick in shell, firelstar shaped votive candle of white wax, waterlshell with salt water in it, and earthlscallop shell filled with salt. Mineral water fills the chalice. No other tools or candles are used. Food and drink are placed under the table in readiness for the feast. Grounding A grounding is an exercise in becoming present in the moment and in establishing a sense of openness and quiet within oneselfprior to entering into ritual. Women sit on the floor around altar set-up while holding hands with each other. The ritual leader invites them co breathe deeply and to close their eyes while they listen to her. Breathe deep. Breathe dcep and let each breath sinkyou deeper within yourseIf: Breathe deep and let each breath release you p o m  your cares. Breathe deep and sink within the molten core ofyour own passions. Breathe deep and letyour spirit rise to meetyour dreams. Breathe deep. Let an atonal chant begin and fade in its own time. An atonal chant is a polytonic improvised chant sung either using vowel sounds only or a repeated word or short phrase. It allows participants to synchronize with each other and for the ritual leader to gauge the level of harmony and depth of trance of the participants. Elemental purifications and casting A self purification consists in using the elements and what one perceives them to represent as a means of evacuating from one's consciousr.ess any impediment to a successfid ritual. Most Wiccans would consider that it is human nature and not nature itself which needs "purifi- cation." Participants unclasp hands. Using each element in turn (air/fire/water/earth), they will proceed to self- purifications as the elements are handed around the circle deosil (sunwise). The elemental chant is maintained throughout. As each e h e n t  is handed to you, a h w y o u r  inner core to resonate with all that this element means to you. Fee[ this resonancegrow andjl lyou completely. Let i t  release anything and everything thatyou may not want to bring to this circle. Andcontinue to letyour voices blendas our spirits blend. Elemental chant Elemental chants are now widely known within the Wiccan and Goddess worship communities. The identi- ties of the authors is rarely known. Many have now CANADIAN WOMAN STUDIESlLES CAHIERS DE LA FEMME developed alternate melodies and verses. The following chant is used in the workshop. Air I am Fire I am Water, earth, and spirit Z am. Casting the circle As each woman states her intent, she takes the hand of the woman to her left. The circle is cast when the last woman has clasped hands with the first woman. By my will, I cast this circle.. . . Anointing Using oil, each woman in turn anoints the forehead of the woman beside her on her left (oil has a light floral scent) and states: You are goddess and woman. Blessed Be. Goddess call Each woman is invited to name herself as herself, as the daughter of her mother, as the granddaughter of her grandmothers. l a m  . . . andlam daughter of.. . who is the daughter of .... Ritual leader then says: Let us look deep within each others'cyes and soulrfor we are all daughten of the go&. And she takes form in each of us. Blessed Be. Meditation If not already sitting, the women are invited to sit comfortably and to close their eyes as they listen to the meditation. We are all daughters of thegoddess andshe takesform in each of us. What a simplc thing to say. And yet.. . . Such a simple thing. . . vey simple really . . . andyet. . . There was a time when we had forgotten this simple truth. We h a d h t  thisprecious thing, this simple thing. We hadlost itand we were left longing. . . longing. . .for that which we had lost. We were lost in our loss.. . . We were without.. . . We couldnotfindour way.. . . We were lost.. . . We couldnot find our way within.. . . But we came to know the depth ofour loss. We came to know the depth of our longing.. . . We came to know the depth of our need.. . and we wept.. . . Tearsgrooved our cheeks.. . . We could not speak our loss. Tears grooved our cheeks.. . . We frlt a h e . .  . . Tears flowed and we wept.. . . Deeper and deeper in our sorrow we sank. Deep within our loss oursorrow sank. We were emptied of our loss.. . . We were left emptied and our longing grew.. . . Our longing grew and grew. Our longingjlled the emptiness ofour h and we o v ~ w e d  with longing.. . . Our longing grew so much that it overflowed us.. . . It ran like a river grooving deep channeh in the parched earth ofoursouk.. . . Andweflowedwith it.. . . It carried us . . . and we flowed.. . . Our parched souh bathed in our longing.. . . Deep within us a memory . . . fiom deep within us a memory rose.. . . Agentle, gentle sound arose . . . a lapping sound of waves and deep currents . . . a memory ofsalt and sea and wetness . . . a memory . . . a memory of she . . . She ... deep sea ... she ... deep ocean ... she ... a memory.. . . Deep within us.. . a memory ofshe.. . and our longing came to know itseF.. . It came to name itse6.. . It came to jnd  itse6.. . It was she.. . . She.. . . Deep within ourselves, she rose.. . a memory.. . . Deep within ourselves, she rose.. . . And we found what we were longingfor.. . deep within our longing.. . deep within ourselves.. . . We found a memory . . . a memory of what we had lost.. . . We found She.. . . She.. . She who . . . She.. . She who . . . She was.. . She is . . . She will be . . . She . . . the sea . . . our memory.. . . Deep c~rrentsofmemory . . . deep currents.. . ofmemory VOLUME 17, NUMBER 1 . . . She.. . We havepundour longing, .. . . We arc filled with She.. . . We arefilhd with the sea . . . drtp currents of memory.. . . We arc found.. . . Wave a f i r  wave of memories.. . salty memories.. . deep currentsofmmorirs.. . . Wearcfound.. . . She.. . . We.. . . Ourparchedsouh bathe in ourfoundmmories.. . . Our heam beat again.. . . Wave a@ wave of memories . . . washing away tears.. . . She . . . Sea . . . We.. . . Andourdcep longingfilh w with her memory.. . . She.. . . We ,... No longer are we ht. .. . No longer are we empty.. . . Our tears haveflowedto her.. . . Our memories have cakd to her.. . . Our longing has brought w to her.. . . We are found.. . . We are found.. . . Deep within W.. . dcrp longingjirlfihd. . . &p sorrow soothed.. . deep yearning fed... . . She.. . . We.. . . Chant: We all come fiom the Goddess And to her we shall return Like a drop of rain Flowing to the Ocean (alternative chant) The river isfiwing Rolling andflowing The river is flowing Down to the sea Oh Mother carry me Child I will always be Oh mother carry me Down to the sea Wine blessing Each ofthe women is invited to add a few drops ofwater from the water jug to the chalice, saying: All that I am, I share with you. As the filled chalice returns to the ritual leader, she adds: Each of w, as all that weare, woman andgocidcss, we are the ocean. We are She. Bhssed Be. Sharing As the chalice now goes around the circle, each woman is invited to drink from it ifshe chooses. When the chalice returns to the ritual leader, she libates (pours out some of the water as an offering) the goddess bowl. Then the ritual leader introduces the stones in the basket as a focus for sharing: In the basket are a shell andfive stones: a char quartz crystal a +rite crystal a piece of chyocola, a lava stone, andapiece ofamber. Each is there to engage with you andyour motions. Each of them is there to serue as a f o w  for sharing. Ifit isyour wish, choose one or more, hold it for a moment as you think of something lost, of something wept for, of something found of something you wish to keep. Ifit isyour wish,you may want to share your thoughts with w. You may aho want to we the stones to capture or to ktgo of memories. They are there foryou and they are very strong. Allow them to dream with you.. . . Feasting Food, drink, and conversation are shared until the energy of the group has settled. Events are allowed to unfolded as they require.. . . Farewells * When the energy of the group has settled, the ritual leader calls upon the participants to hold hands and to give thanks to She who is with us, to thank the women of their families and to thank each other. The ritual leader then thanks and releases the elemental energies and the circle is dissolved as it was created, each woman in turn saying to the woman to her right as she lets go of her hand: From my heart to your heart, this circle is open. A final chant releases the circle: Therei a river of birds in migration A nation of women with wings. (alternate chant) We will never Ever h our way To the well Of her memory And the power Of her livingflame It will rise It will rise again. Lucie Murie-Mai DuFresne is a sessional instructor and doctoral student in the Department of Chsics and Religious Studies at the University of Ottawa. She has been involved in the women ? movement in Canada since the early 1970s and she is now apriestess of Wicca within her community offaith in the Ottawa region.  his phrase has become apocryphal. No original author can now be identified. Nevertheless, it is a central theme of the women's spirituality movement. CANADIAN WOMAN STUDIESILES CAHIERS DE LA FEMME 

Losers, Weepers, Finders, Keepers

https://cws.journals.yorku.ca/index.php/cws/article/download/8943/8120

Losers, Weepers, Finders, Keepers

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Canadian Woman Studies / les cahiers de la femme (E-Journal, York University)