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 © Gail Faith EdwardsEditors' Note: The following is an excerpt from the author's Opening Our Wild Hearts to the Healing Herbs, published in 2000 by Ash Tree Publishing, and used by permission. You can order a copy here. "The survival of all species depends on our grasping the significance of what was learned during the Beginning Times. And what we learned was this: That Ceremony is Life itself; it is the way we do things; it is the way we maintain Balance and Harmony with all our Relations, it is the way we Honor our Ancestors and protect the Earth for the Yet Unborn Generation." Gkisedtanamoogk, Anoqcou, Ceremony is Life Itself (1993) In cultures where a strong tradition of ritual or ceremony is honored and regularly practiced, there is an emphasis on being in the world, rather than doing tasks or accomplishing things. This is an emphasis on the process of deepening, rather than on producing and achieving.
I learned from Jean Houston, humanistic psychologist, philosopher and author of Search for the Beloved, that the need for ceremony is deeply encoded within us, and that it insistently demands expression. Houston explains that the reptilian brain needs security and repetition, our old mammalian brain seeks emotional charges, and our cognitive neo-cortex needs intellectual stimulation. If we court all three parts of the brain, our body will listen. In this way, we can reorganize our circuitry to receive the subtle, yet powerful, messages from both our own deep psyche and the larger universe, thereby embracing on a path of developing sacred psychology. Ceremony amplifies our natural capacity and desire for experiencing the sacred. It helps restore connection to our deepest selves, to each other, to the earth, all her creatures, and to the ultimate source of all being. The ceremony gives us access to information that is otherwise unavailable. Earth-honoring celebrations synthesize all of the essential factors necessary for good health and a good sense of well-being, not only for the individual but also for the whole community. Ceremony engages us fully in body, mind and spirit. Ceremony becomes a dynamic expression through which the energy of an event can move us in a persona and/or communal process toward deeper meaning, a new stage of development, and a new level of living. Ceremony is a way of communicating -- with our deepest selves, with Great Spirit, with Mother Earth. It is a way of saying thank you: thank you for this life; thank you for this day; thank you for all creation. Ceremony is a way of acknowledging the sacredness of all that is. It gives us opportunity to know this moment as sacred, this piece of earth where we live as sacred, this tree, this bird, this exchange of energy, all are sacred.
Ceremony is all inclusive. It is not the sole property or right of any one group or culture. Ceremony belongs to all people. In our wild hearts we can all trace our roots back to the Beginning Times, when humans drummed and danced, sang and prayed around a common fire. I encourage you to retrace the threads of your sacred relationship to the earth. They are deeply encoded within you. Find a place you love enough to defend, and then commit to its completely. Live there with grace, respect and gratitude for the privilege of having round a true home. You needn't own the place, just love it. Create simple ceremony there. Invite the seven directions (East, South, West, North, Above, Below, Within) to join you there. This is how to create a sacred site. If you stay with your special place long enough, the land itself will begin to teach you. Special spots will make themselves known to you. I have heard it said that those who've lived long enough to master the art of keep listening hear the spirits of a place. They will help you create, practice, or re-establish ceremonies that nourish that particular part of the planet. Get to know the natural beings of your area personally. The trees, plants, and animals that share your space are living entities of great energy, intelligence and spirit. Observe their activities and changes. Meditate on your place amongst them. Relate to them as your friends and teachers. Dedicate yourself to their care are preservation. Make up little prayers and simple songs and share them in our circle of friends. Invite others to share those. Say grace before your meals. Drop cornmeal, compost, or songs of praise around your garden in spring as a ceremony of nourishment. Do the same after gathering plants to express your gratitude. During the harvest season, show your appreciation for the generosity of the earth by parading through the corn patch or around the tomatoes. Get your kids to hand donuts in the trees for May Day. Stay up all night asking presents on the Winter Solstice. Have a regular Sunday dinner.
Allow the natural cycles of the planet to help set the rhythm for your ceremonies. Good times for ceremony are sunrise and sunset, new and full moon, equinox and solstice. Invite your family, friends, and other beings to participate.
Ceremony opens the doorway to spirit. Spirit is a real dimension of self. We come close to spirit through dreams, myths, ritual, ceremony, visions, intuition, hunches, and feelings. Our spiritual experience is our ability to celebrate life and love, It enriches and sustains our family, our community, the world at large, and ourselves. Personal growth depends on our ability to touch spirit deeply and to remember our true nature. Our survival as spiritual beings depends upon our ability to Open Our Wild Hearts in love and resonance with all of nature.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Gail Faith Edwards is a practicing Community Herbalist and founder and director of the Blessed Maine Herb Farm and School of Herbal Medicine. She is the author of Opening Our Wild Hearts to the Healing Herbs and Traversing the Wild Terrain of Menopause. Gail offers several herbal study opportunities including a 3 year Community Herbalist Program, one-month long herbal apprenticeships and an Herbal Medicine Correspondence Course. DESIGN CREDITS: This page was designed by Deborah Bier; photos are from Clipart.com.
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The ancient goddess cultures, pastoral for thousands of years, used ceremony to maintain a sense of the sacred in their daily lives. Earth-honoring peoples from cultures around the world, ancient times to the present, use ceremony to sustain the health and cohesiveness of individuals and community. There is much to learn from these peoples and their ways, for they speak clearly of humans' true spiritual essence and of our deep connection to Mother Earth.
Ceremony is a way of showing respect. It allows us to show respect for the changing seasons, respect for the corn that grew, for the tree bark just gathered, respect for a new day, new moon, a new year.
These are all simple ways that you can begin to bring ceremony into daily life and into the lives of your family and friends. It is important to be spontaneous and have fun. You don't have to copy anyone else's ceremonies -- design your own. Celebrate the sacred in some small way every day. This is the Wise Woman Way, the way of Opening Our Wild Hearts to resonate with Mother Earth and all of creation.
