A liturgy in celebration of the Greater Feast (death) of a community member for one or many celebrants.
0. When one among you has passed, And mourning has begun, Assemble the wailing ones, In a safe place resonant of joy 1. Choose from among you, Those wailing ones, Whose hearts are full to bursting, And begging to be heard 2. Let those who have been chosen, Choose again among themselves, The one who will sing, And bear the burdens 3. Remember you live, Always in relationship, Honor the land, And its rightful stewards 4. Fix what is free, Bind what is loose, Close the circle, To embrace the sacred witnesses 5. Call the Elements Stars and spirits, Mighty Ones and ancestors, In loving intimacy 6. Let the one who is to sing, Come forward and say, “Let us remember,” “Let us tell sweet stories,” 7. Then let the singer fall back, And let the wailing ones, Sing their own songs, one by one, Of the one who has fallen 8. When each story ends, Pass a silent moment together, Feel what the fallen meant, Feel the hole they leave behind 9. When the stories are ended, Let the singer raise their hands, Let them pull down starlight, And bind it to the iron core of the Earth 10. Let the singer say, “All this takes getting used to,” “But you do get used to it,” “One day you will fly again” “One day you will dream,” “And no one will be missing,” “Only a light shadow will be cast, “And you will remember how to dance” “But today is not that day, “So weep if you will,” “Laugh if you will,” “And let no one shame you” 11. Let those who have come together, To say goodbye, Share a Dumb Supper, Silent and reversed, sweet to savory 12. As you chew, consider the dead, Remember them and hold them, Dear in your hearts, Feel them near you 13. Let the silence deafen you, To all but the whispers, Of the fallen, And listen 14. Is there a message here, A bit of starry wisdom, Won back from beyond, What any of us can imagine? 15. Do the dead speak? And if they do, What mysteries do they reveal? What intimacies do they share? 16. Finish your meal, With a thanksgiving, For our dear one, Who has won their Greater Feast 17. As light they were shed by the Divine, They walked among us awhile, Sharing their warmth, And now they sail home 18. Honor those who weep, Hold each other in your pain, Recognize loss, Help each other say goodbye 19. Finally, let the one who sings say, “One day your tears will dry,” “But it need not be today,” “Be kind to your own hearts” 20. Release all who were called, Tell them “Thank you”, Tell them “We love you”, Tell them “Goodbye” 21. Let what was bound be loosed, Let the circle be opened, Let those who wail be released, Let the one who has fallen be free
Art: Claude Monet, “Impression, Sunrise”, 1872