Back in 2001, I led a Mabon ritual to celebrate the Fall Equinox, which occurs around the 21st of September. This was barely two weeks after the horrors of September 11th, and the group was still reeling from the shock of those incidents. We included in our ritual a special candle-light ceremony not too different from the healing ritual I posted earlier. We went around the circle, and each of us offered up our thoughts and prayers… either silently or expressed in voice and/or sign.
One of the ritual attendees was a young woman named Cailleach, who wrote the following poem to share. She gave me a copy of it afterwards, and I have kept it in my Book of Shadows ever since. I came across it last night as I was looking for words to comfort me in the aftermath of the shootings at Virginia Tech.
I think it’s just as relevant now as it was then… perhaps it will bring you the same sense of hope and healing as it did for me.
Blessings,
~ Ocean
Spirits of Earth and Humanity
I want to describe to you what I’ve seen
yet no words can do
I’m sure you’ve heard our cries
as you live through us as we through you
After my reaction of shock and horror,
hearing no replies to my question “WHY?”
I became filled with white hot rage
at those responsible for these actions
I wanted to destroy
Then a cold realization came over me
I was thinking like them
I have become one of them
A sense of remorse entered me
for I saw the cycle of violence
How can I walk away from this?
Everyone has their own beliefs
Some are with such strong unwavering convictions and beliefs
Some Mormons believe it’s okay to marry their young neice
Some Southerners believe that segregation should still exist
Some Christians believe in discrimination based on
gender, race, religion, sexual orientation or ethnic background
Some believe it’s okay to kill
Having beliefs is one thing
but acting out on your beliefs is another thing
For this is my creed ~
You are judged not by what you believe
You are judged by how you treat others
People – you and I – are entitled to our beliefs
It is okay to hate
Hate is a natural emotion
it shows we are human
it is part of who we are
But we should not act out on those feelings
we cannot afford to have this emotion consume us
For it brings out the worst in us
and in humanity
For some, this hate becomes irrational
and destroys
For what reasons they choose
A popular cheerleader killed by a plain ordinary classmate
A couple of teenage boys on a rampage in a school library
A woman stabbed several times by her ex-husband
Thousands of innocent lives taken away by the
Flying Swords of Death
Grappling with reasoning for this horrific action
trying to understand and yet
not wanting to put myself in their place
How can I walk away from this?
I am comforted by the thought
What goes around comes around
What once was the sword of death
now becomes
The Sword of Justice
It is my hope that the bearers of this sword
do not lose sight of the humanity it beholds
and use it wisely
Maybe Justice won’t come from mortal beings
Where in the rolling fields of the great plains
and the lush green forest
the cries of humanity fall silently
Then by the Heavens and the Underworld
the Stars and the Moon
the Sun
and the beautiful blue planet we call home
Amid the madness and chaos so fleeting
Justice Will Prevail
And we will say again
if anyone asks us
“How are you doing?”
The reply will be
“I am doing just fine”
For I know
the Spirit of Humanity
is strong in us all
So Mote It Be.
Wow, something to think about. Compassion for the people who cause such heartache. The Amish seem to have it figured out, if only they could explain to the rest of us the secret.