River Ritual Metaprompter 2105
Opening: Bell (to represent a ship’s bell or lock keeper’s bell). (If you don’t have a bell, use something else appropriate to make a clear opening for the ritual.)
Opening Statement: We are here to honor the rivers, the waters of life and the blood of the Earth Mother.
Earth Mother
Meditation: Listen to the river.
Muse: The river source and the streams, creeks, and rain that feed it.
Horizontal directions: Study your watershed. How does water flow from each direction? How do energies from different streams flowing into the river combine and change?
Outsiders: Thoughtlessness, polluters?
Fire: The sun.
Tree: One of your local trees.
Well: A bucket of river water or river itself.
Gatekeeper: Study the history and geography of your watershed- what makes sense for your river? A canal lock keeper/lock tender? Is there a lighthouse at the mouth of your river? A port or a fishing camp? Maybe a boat captain or a drawbridge tender would be your gatekeeper.
Ancestors: Who settled around your watershed? In NJ, from Lenape to Dutch settlers, English, Germans, Irish canal workers, etc...
Nature Spirits: Your local wildlife: turtles, egrets, herons, eagles, cormorants, beavers, possums, groundhogs, foxes, deer, variety of trees, bushes, plants... and fish... trout, bass, shad... etc.
Gods and Goddesses: River deities from around the world: Melusine, Boann, Danu, Sequana, Clota, Coventina, Sabrina... etc.
Main invocation: Your river and its watershed- canals/streams/creeks
(Possibly: “------ we honor you and devote our time and energy in this ritual to thank you for the life you give us....”? or something of that nature?)
Praise
Main offering: A bio-degradable offering. Ex.: A wood-burned design to float and decompose in the river.
Omen- However you divine best
Magical act: blessing the river and the watershed for clean water and healthy rivers (one area where we can build up power together). A possible blessing:
Ancestors, Nature Spirits, Deities, Earth Mother, Spirits of this Water and this Land, please bless this watershed with healthy streams and healthy rivers for all its inhabitants.
Ending meditation- Listen to the river, then shift your focus to the sounds of civilization.
Thank you.... separately or all at once? You decide.
End ritual... make a clear ending. Ring bell again.