What we said
Apr. 14th, 2003 07:44 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
rowanfThis is the text of the Parade Marshals' speech, as best I can I recollect from what we wrote before and what I remember us saying. :-)
RW:
It’s quite an honor to be chosen as Grand Marshals of this year’s Interfaith Pagan Pride Parade. This is a wonderful celebration of the diversity and unity of the larger pagan community. And it’s a great costume party! I can’t remember the last time I walked down the middle of Telegraph Avenue with a troupe of Aztec dancers and a goat drawn cart!
We’ve come a long way since Rowan and I first discovered the religion we felt in our hearts was called “Pagan”, over 30 years ago, Back then, different Pagan groups were isolated, and “interfaith” means Baptists talking to Catholics. But gradually, we’ve enlarged the family of religious tolerance, and today the Shinto, the Native American religions, the Wiccans, and many others are welcome at mainstream interfaith gatherings, and we can come together today and celebrate our unity and our diversity..
RF:
I believe that it is critically important that all religions come together and work for the betterment of the world. And I am not alone. Our gathering today is one manifestation of an interfaith movement which is spreading across the globe. The term "interfaith movement" describes a shift across religious consciousness that encourages partnership and responsibility for the common good. Interfaith is an approach to living in a religiously and spiritually diverse world that respects the integrity of different faith traditions. Today we demonstrate that respect by bringing together the ancient voices of our religious forebears, with their reverence for the earth and love of justice. We come to share our teachings and our learnings and to celebrate both our heritage and our future.
All of our values and actions reflect the meanings and relationships that we choose for our lives: our spirituality is manifest in our relationships with other life, with the Earth, with the cosmos, and with the divine. Together we can dream a new vision with compassion and courage that will guide our feet on the road to peace.
I ask that each of us search our hearts and liberate ourselves from any hatred or distrust that we may harbor towards others. I ask that we find true compassion for each other so that together we can build the world of peace, ecological balance, justice, harmony, respect and love that all our religions teach -- and may it be soon.
RW
We’d like to do a brief grounding and meditation for peace, and then we’ll do a chant together, which we’ll repeat 3 times.
RF:
I wrote this chant in 1999 for a ritual promoting the Declaration Toward a Global Ethic, a document which came out of the 1993 Parliament of the Worlds Religions. The last time I taught this chant was to the People of Rio de Janeiro at the United Religions Global Summit. Please join your energy to that wonderful interfaith chorus. I'll teach it now and we'll sing it after Russell does a grounding to set the intent.
Lady weave your web of change
Bring the world to peace again
Let us all be kin together
So Mote It Be
RW:
Close your eyes. Listen for the ancient voices within yourself. Listen for them in the world around you.
Hear the ancient voice of wisdom in the air blowing through the trees.
Hear the ancient voice of hope in the candle flame
Hear the ancient voice of compassion in the endless sea
Hear the ancient voice of peace in the earth and plants
Let us send healing for the hurts of the centuries
Let us send hope and growth, to replace hate and killing.
Let us send respect and inspiration, to replace despair and sorrow
Let us create a circle of protection.
Let us create a circle of healing.
Let us create a circle of justice.
Let us create a circle of renewal.
And let us envision these circles as a spiral, see them repeat, spreading out until through all the world may peace prevail on earth
RF/RW and all present:
Lady weave your web of change
Bring the world to peace again
Let us all be kin together
So Mote It Be
RW:
It’s quite an honor to be chosen as Grand Marshals of this year’s Interfaith Pagan Pride Parade. This is a wonderful celebration of the diversity and unity of the larger pagan community. And it’s a great costume party! I can’t remember the last time I walked down the middle of Telegraph Avenue with a troupe of Aztec dancers and a goat drawn cart!
We’ve come a long way since Rowan and I first discovered the religion we felt in our hearts was called “Pagan”, over 30 years ago, Back then, different Pagan groups were isolated, and “interfaith” means Baptists talking to Catholics. But gradually, we’ve enlarged the family of religious tolerance, and today the Shinto, the Native American religions, the Wiccans, and many others are welcome at mainstream interfaith gatherings, and we can come together today and celebrate our unity and our diversity..
RF:
I believe that it is critically important that all religions come together and work for the betterment of the world. And I am not alone. Our gathering today is one manifestation of an interfaith movement which is spreading across the globe. The term "interfaith movement" describes a shift across religious consciousness that encourages partnership and responsibility for the common good. Interfaith is an approach to living in a religiously and spiritually diverse world that respects the integrity of different faith traditions. Today we demonstrate that respect by bringing together the ancient voices of our religious forebears, with their reverence for the earth and love of justice. We come to share our teachings and our learnings and to celebrate both our heritage and our future.
All of our values and actions reflect the meanings and relationships that we choose for our lives: our spirituality is manifest in our relationships with other life, with the Earth, with the cosmos, and with the divine. Together we can dream a new vision with compassion and courage that will guide our feet on the road to peace.
I ask that each of us search our hearts and liberate ourselves from any hatred or distrust that we may harbor towards others. I ask that we find true compassion for each other so that together we can build the world of peace, ecological balance, justice, harmony, respect and love that all our religions teach -- and may it be soon.
RW
We’d like to do a brief grounding and meditation for peace, and then we’ll do a chant together, which we’ll repeat 3 times.
RF:
I wrote this chant in 1999 for a ritual promoting the Declaration Toward a Global Ethic, a document which came out of the 1993 Parliament of the Worlds Religions. The last time I taught this chant was to the People of Rio de Janeiro at the United Religions Global Summit. Please join your energy to that wonderful interfaith chorus. I'll teach it now and we'll sing it after Russell does a grounding to set the intent.
Lady weave your web of change
Bring the world to peace again
Let us all be kin together
So Mote It Be
RW:
Close your eyes. Listen for the ancient voices within yourself. Listen for them in the world around you.
Hear the ancient voice of wisdom in the air blowing through the trees.
Hear the ancient voice of hope in the candle flame
Hear the ancient voice of compassion in the endless sea
Hear the ancient voice of peace in the earth and plants
Let us send healing for the hurts of the centuries
Let us send hope and growth, to replace hate and killing.
Let us send respect and inspiration, to replace despair and sorrow
Let us create a circle of protection.
Let us create a circle of healing.
Let us create a circle of justice.
Let us create a circle of renewal.
And let us envision these circles as a spiral, see them repeat, spreading out until through all the world may peace prevail on earth
RF/RW and all present:
Lady weave your web of change
Bring the world to peace again
Let us all be kin together
So Mote It Be
