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badseed1980Friday was the first "real" day of Stones Rising. The day began with breakfast as usual, hot showers in the cool morning air, and a community discussion. This one was on the subject of "Land". We were called by the ringing of the bell once again, and Morgan regretted the wine he'd drunk with every clang of it. I was not so affected, and managed to contribute a bit to the discussion. The idea of land established for Pagan sacred purposes is something very special to me. It is solid, irrefutably *there* in a way that all our online networks and discussions and ideas are not. The land is, as Orren said, the chalice that holds all of the community and all that it stands for. The stones are the visible sign of a covenant with the land: in three hundred years, the land will still be there for us, and we, or at least our descendants and successors, will be there for it. We will nurture and take care of one another until those stones are ancient and their original builders forgotten.
I worked for a while on the labyrinth project after the discussion, preparing it for that night's ritual. Swimming followed, as it had the day before.
After dinner and a little free time, the ritual began. I walked up to the labyrinth hill with Morgan. It was splendid. An avenue of torches led up the hill, to the torch-circled labyrinth itself. The labyrinth was hidden from our view by huge veils. I walked between the torches and passed through the veil, feeling as I did that I had stepped back into ancient Greece, and was about to undertake an ancient mystery. First, I went to the stone that was set up there as a table. Three women waited behind it, each with a black bowl of water set on the stone before them. They were Maiden, Mother, and Crone. I had to choose one and scry in her bowl, hoping to gain some insight as to what I would find on my journey through the labyrinth. I had been feeling lately like I had arrived at a brand-new point in my life, with everything changing at once. Every day was bringing something new and exciting to me. I chose the Maiden, hoping that I could learn something about where all this newness would lead me. Sadly, my scrying skills are lacking, and I saw nothing when I gazed into the bowl. But it helped me to focus for the journey.
I passed into the labyrinth. Walking the candlelit pathways was a moving meditation. I don't know if I found what I sought, or if I learned anything, but this was a "journey to the center", as we had been told, and I came to my own center as I walked. I sometimes felt I was moving away from the center rather than towards it, but I followed my feet and they did not stray. I came to the middle, where an altar was set up with herbs and a censer in which to burn them. I chose to burn herbs that represented the things I was trying to give up: fear, jealousy, and insecurity. I watched the smoke rise, and gave thanks. As I began my return journey, I realized that I was close to trance, though the trance had no purpose. When I made it back to the entry and left the pattern, I sat on the grass to try to figure out any meanings I could. I immediately began to slip further into a trance state, but feared I would fall asleep if I had no focus. So, I rose, shook myself, and walked back down the avenue of torches, serene but puzzled.
When all who wished had walked the labyrinth, it was time for the pull. We were bringing the stone that had held the scrying bowls down to the stone circle. I was planning on holding a torch to light the way of the rope crews, or passing them water to drink as they pulled. Then, Orren called for us all to form two lines, without explanation. I stood up and took a place, as Morgan went off to help the stone crew in charge of the pull. I wasn't the only one to look a little surprised when two ropes were laid out on the ground beside the two rows of people. When I saw them, I thought to myself, "Well, I can either step off to the side now, or I can pick up the rope and pull with them." I reached down and picked up the rope.
The Stone Choir began to sing, sweetly etherial songs that, along with the torchlight, lent a haunting atmosphere to the scene. I felt reverence for the land fill me, and love for the people around me. Then we began to pull. There's no way to describe the feeling of it. Your arms and hands begin to ache. Your feet slip and hit the person in front of you. You breathe heavily, sweat, and grunt with effort. At the same time, the beauty of the moment is so breathtaking, it's all you can do to keep from crying. Singers chant, drums beat softly, and torches light your steps in the dark. Going uphill, you feel like you won't be able to make it, that the crest is just too high. But you pull a little harder, and so does everyone else, and suddenly it's over the top.
When we finally reached the stone circle and set the stone down, cheers broke out. Everyone hugged, sweaty and dirty as we were. I felt intimately close to people I didn't even know. Then it was time for the giveaway of the "Family" bundle. I had kept my rolled parchment safe during the pull, and went to Morgan to give it to him. I couldn't hold back the tears anymore when we embraced, squeezing tight enough to make my ribs ache. I gave him the poem, and he handed me a bundle. It contained a piece of Connemara marble, which always makes me remember Galway, shaped into a worry stone. It was like a symbol of what I had hoped for in the labyrinth: all my worries would be taken away. Morgan read the poem aloud, and to my delight was deeply affected by it. I felt happier than I'd been in ages, covered in sweat and tears and joy.
I worked for a while on the labyrinth project after the discussion, preparing it for that night's ritual. Swimming followed, as it had the day before.
After dinner and a little free time, the ritual began. I walked up to the labyrinth hill with Morgan. It was splendid. An avenue of torches led up the hill, to the torch-circled labyrinth itself. The labyrinth was hidden from our view by huge veils. I walked between the torches and passed through the veil, feeling as I did that I had stepped back into ancient Greece, and was about to undertake an ancient mystery. First, I went to the stone that was set up there as a table. Three women waited behind it, each with a black bowl of water set on the stone before them. They were Maiden, Mother, and Crone. I had to choose one and scry in her bowl, hoping to gain some insight as to what I would find on my journey through the labyrinth. I had been feeling lately like I had arrived at a brand-new point in my life, with everything changing at once. Every day was bringing something new and exciting to me. I chose the Maiden, hoping that I could learn something about where all this newness would lead me. Sadly, my scrying skills are lacking, and I saw nothing when I gazed into the bowl. But it helped me to focus for the journey.
I passed into the labyrinth. Walking the candlelit pathways was a moving meditation. I don't know if I found what I sought, or if I learned anything, but this was a "journey to the center", as we had been told, and I came to my own center as I walked. I sometimes felt I was moving away from the center rather than towards it, but I followed my feet and they did not stray. I came to the middle, where an altar was set up with herbs and a censer in which to burn them. I chose to burn herbs that represented the things I was trying to give up: fear, jealousy, and insecurity. I watched the smoke rise, and gave thanks. As I began my return journey, I realized that I was close to trance, though the trance had no purpose. When I made it back to the entry and left the pattern, I sat on the grass to try to figure out any meanings I could. I immediately began to slip further into a trance state, but feared I would fall asleep if I had no focus. So, I rose, shook myself, and walked back down the avenue of torches, serene but puzzled.
When all who wished had walked the labyrinth, it was time for the pull. We were bringing the stone that had held the scrying bowls down to the stone circle. I was planning on holding a torch to light the way of the rope crews, or passing them water to drink as they pulled. Then, Orren called for us all to form two lines, without explanation. I stood up and took a place, as Morgan went off to help the stone crew in charge of the pull. I wasn't the only one to look a little surprised when two ropes were laid out on the ground beside the two rows of people. When I saw them, I thought to myself, "Well, I can either step off to the side now, or I can pick up the rope and pull with them." I reached down and picked up the rope.
The Stone Choir began to sing, sweetly etherial songs that, along with the torchlight, lent a haunting atmosphere to the scene. I felt reverence for the land fill me, and love for the people around me. Then we began to pull. There's no way to describe the feeling of it. Your arms and hands begin to ache. Your feet slip and hit the person in front of you. You breathe heavily, sweat, and grunt with effort. At the same time, the beauty of the moment is so breathtaking, it's all you can do to keep from crying. Singers chant, drums beat softly, and torches light your steps in the dark. Going uphill, you feel like you won't be able to make it, that the crest is just too high. But you pull a little harder, and so does everyone else, and suddenly it's over the top.
When we finally reached the stone circle and set the stone down, cheers broke out. Everyone hugged, sweaty and dirty as we were. I felt intimately close to people I didn't even know. Then it was time for the giveaway of the "Family" bundle. I had kept my rolled parchment safe during the pull, and went to Morgan to give it to him. I couldn't hold back the tears anymore when we embraced, squeezing tight enough to make my ribs ache. I gave him the poem, and he handed me a bundle. It contained a piece of Connemara marble, which always makes me remember Galway, shaped into a worry stone. It was like a symbol of what I had hoped for in the labyrinth: all my worries would be taken away. Morgan read the poem aloud, and to my delight was deeply affected by it. I felt happier than I'd been in ages, covered in sweat and tears and joy.
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no subject
Date: 2003-09-12 09:23 am (UTC)I just wanted to say hi and to let you know that this is the journal I use, not
*Faery Dust*
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Date: 2003-09-12 09:25 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2003-09-12 12:52 pm (UTC)