A month or so ago Emily P. responded to my call for group ideas, giving me some great inspiration. One idea that immediately called out to me was performing a burning ceremony. Yesterday in Awakenings, we talked about regrets. We talked about how regrets affect us and we confessed a few of our regrets to each other. As you can imagine, there is a lot of regret in a lockdown facility.
We created a box, decorated with the kid’s Awakening names and symbols and we filled it with our regrets and negative experiences, written on post-it notes. This Tuesday the notes will be emptied out of the box and burned in a ceremony to leave those burdens behind. Those of us that participate in the ceremony will burn incense sticks and recite the words to the ceremony together as our symbolized negative experiences turn to ashes. The saved ashes will be made into paint used to create art works symbolizing the kid’s power and hope in the future.
Here is how the ceremony will go:
- This part is read by the kids as I empty the papers into the container and light the fire:
We believe that life is a walking and that each day, each hour, each minute of our lives; we make the choice to walk forward or backward. The instant that we make the choice to walk forward we begin our journey towards a happier, healthier, more satisfying way of life.
Today we gather in a ceremony to release our regrets and the negative things that hinder us in our journey to happiness. We will purge these things from our lives with the power of fire.
- Then I read this part:
We will now turn our backs to the fire, take a few moments to feel the release of our burdens, and then turn back towards each other to complete the ceremony in unity.
- After everyone is facing each other I will close the ceremony:
As the burden of our regrets and negative happenings turn to ashes, let us walk forward, in search of our true selves, in search of our awakenings.
I am Chaparral Sunrise, and I have spoken.
P.S. Here is an example of a remembrance bracelet:
Paul, Paul, Paul...
ReplyDeleteOh how sometimes your soul washes over me.
I feel the confidence you place in your ceremonies, so much so that you demand these dear young walkers to search for their greatness. What a wonderful demand to place as an every day standard.
I know you might get tired of me pouring my praises of you and your groups. I honestly can't care about that. What you are doing for these kids is much too important for prudence.
As often as you share your groups with us is as often as I will pour upon you all the immense feeling I have for these kids.
I feel like you and I are a team. You are doing today what I am not able to. And I will carry the torch in the future when you need to rest.
....so much love is flowing from me right now....
thank you thank you thank you. For all the effort it takes to do a burning ceremony at that lock down. Emotional effort, and getting the staff's support, and the preparation, (even the details-the matches, the safety water, the incense, etc.) and creating the atmosphere for the kids, and the clean up afterward, and the processing with individual kids who need to talk about it, and the pain of not being able to hug them, and trying to share the experience with friends, knowing they can't fully understand it if they weren't there, but hoping they'll understand something...
And then starting all over again to prepare for another group tomorrow, attempting to create an hour as powerfully the next day.
I am very impressed with this ceremony. I expected it to end with the burning of the notes but then to create a future with the ashes! That is so perfect and so beautiful.
ReplyDeleteI just may do this for myself
Thank you :)