edition i: rituals for the climate change obsessed
God signs to us we cannot read She shouts we take cover She shrugs and trains leave the tracks Our schedules! we moan Our loved ones! we moan God is fed up All the oceans she gave us All the fields All the acres of steep seedful forests And we did what Invented the Great Chain of Being and the chain saw Invented sin God sees us now gorging ourselves & starving our neighbors starving ourselves & storing our grain & She says I’ve had it you cast your trash upon the waters it’s rolling in
you stuck your fine finger into the mystery of life to find death & you did you learned how to end the world in nothing flat Now you come crying to your mommy Send us a miracle Prove that you exist Look at your hand, I say Listen to your sacred heart Do you have to haul the tide in sweeten the berries on the vine I set you down a miracle among miracles You want more It’s your turn You show me
Basic Ritual Design Altar Creation Purification of Space Preparation of Self Ritual Observance Give Thanks Close Ritual Ritual Objects Incense Stick Bowl of Water Small Dish of Salt Soil A Green Candle Tree Agate
Please practice this ritual under a full or waning Moon.
Create a small space to set your candle, bowl of water, soil, salt dish, candle, and tree agate. This ritual does not call for these items to be placed in any specific order. Do what feels best.
Burn the incense stick and waft it over the area you are performing the ritual. Do so with intention, focusing only on the task at hand. Make sure to waft the smoke over all your ritual objects.
Spend a few minutes in meditation. Then, deeply contemplate (a focused, deliberate thinking) the state of our planet. Think of your connection to all living things and deeply focus on your oneness with all that is.
The full moon (and following days of the waning moon) are a time of great energy to take action. It is a time of releasing what no longer serves you or this. This ritual focuses on a release of all negative energy hat you may have gathered while learning about and existing with climate change. The aim of this ritual is to release these feelings - they are helpful but too much of these negative feelings can hinder and discourage your journey in climate change studies. The release of this build up then enables you to continue to take action as your best self. To begin the ritual, make sure your altar has all the ritual objects. The soil and tree agate are here as symbols to remind you of the your environmental purpose. The salt soaks up all negative energy released. The candle and water will be actively used in the ritual so have them closest to you. Read the poem, Inventing Sin, provided as a manifestation of the negative emotions surrounding the current state of our planet. You may feel the need to scream, or cry - indulge these emotions. After reciting the poem, take a piece of paper and write out all of your negative feelings, worries about the future that you’d like to let go. Write the date. When finished, take a deep breath and say “I now release that which no longer serves me.” Hold the paper over the
candle and allow it to burn. When the paper has finished burning, place your hands in the bow of water to cleanse yourself and start anew. Take a few moments to sit in silence, allowing the ritual to set in. Keep your candle - which is green for growth - in front of you, allowing it to encourage growth and inspiration on how to proceed.
Once you feel you have completed the ritual, remember to give thanks to the Moon for aiding you in the process. You may also want to ask the Earth for forgiveness and give thanks for its endurance of our human activities. If you invoked any deities, remember to thank them as well.
The ritual can be closed simply by disassembling the altar.