This Celebration of Life was performed for a Wiccan lady in the community. The majority of her family were hard-core monotheists that were extremely against her beliefs. Her sons, however, wanted to honor her with something simple that pulled on the path she walked spiritually while still keeping things on a level that the rest of the family would not raise a stink at.

Some of the material is self-written. I did borrow concepts from a Wiccan page on the web, Concepts of the Goddess.

 

Funereal Rite

Respects to the deceased:

Each person may light a tealight around [deceased] urn offering a quick, private word with her before the beginning of the ceremony.

Music playing in the background softly:  “Ancient Cry” -Epic

Opening remarks:

Hello. Thank you for gathering here to honor [deceased] as she makes her final journey. For many of you this may be the first time surrounded by these friends and family in several years. It is a testament to the character of [deceased] that in this moment, in this place, she can bring you all together one more time. It is in this act of gathering that she once more shares the magic of her love and personality.

We gather together this day because each of you was touched in some way by [deceased]. When someone dies, we know that it is important to gather together to acknowledge their passing, the hole they leave behind, and recognize that joining together as a community in the face of sorrow is a sacred undertaking.

In [deceased]’s beliefs the motion of casting a circle was used to separate from the mundane world and create sacred space. Instead of casting a circle we will recognize those elements that exist within us all and simply be the circle for her.

Recognizing the directions:

West:

WEST, the power of emotion and the traditional place of the dead. We call out to those that have gone before us to let us feel what we need to feel. We call on tears of sorrow, we call on laughter within our stories, and most of all we call on hope for peace.

North:

NORTH, the power of the very Earth itself. We call out for grounding and healing through our daily tasks. We call on the beauty of the mountains and bounty of the fields to inspire us as we return to our lives.

East:

EAST, the power of aspiration and ideas. We call out for help to let us forget what should be forgotten and remember what should be remembered. We call on memories from the past to guide us and dreams of the future to carry us onwards.

South:

SOUTH, the power of energy and passion. We call out for the drive we need to carry on. We call on determination and strength. We call upon the flame of the candle and the light of the heavens to remind us that life will continue.

West:

To complete the path, we complete the circle with the divine SPIRIT, which always remains with us.

Reading: A Meditation on Death by Sabina C. Becker

Death is a piece of Life, not its opposite, not even its end, but merely one station of a larger cycle. We are born, we die, we are reborn in a different shape. Our bodies decompose and feed the flowers that feed the soil that feeds the crops that feed the livestock that feeds us. These are the facts of Life and Death: when something dies, it becomes a part of something else that lives.

I was not privileged with the knowing of [deceased], but those of you here were blessed with memories to carry forward, and that which is remembered lives on.

Elegy for a Dead Witch (by Doreen Valiente):

**[deceased],

To think that you are gone, over the crest of the hills
As the Moon passed from her fullness, riding the sky,
And the White Mare took you with her.
To think that we will wait another life
To drink wine from the horns, and leap the fire.
Farewell from this world, but not from the Circle.
That place that is between the worlds
Shall hold return in due time. Nothing is lost.
The half of a fruit from the tree of Avalon
Shall be our reminder, among the fallen leaves
This life treads underfoot. Let the rain weep.
Waken in sunlight from the Realms of Sleep.

Eulogy:

[deceased] raised two boys into the men sitting here as well as a daughter of her heart. It is fitting that they send her on this journey with the words they have held in their hearts. (names of family)

Sharing of memories:

Is there anyone that would like to share a few words for [deceased]?

Final Prayer (-Doreen Valiente):

I who am the beauty of the green earth;
And the White Moon amongst the Stars;
And the mystery of the Waters; and the
Desire of the heart of man, I call unto
Thy soul: arise and come unto me.
For I am the Soul of nature who giveth
Life to the Universe;
From me all things proceed; and unto
Me, all things must return.

And thou who thinkest to seek me,
Know that thy seeking and yearning
Shall avail thee not unless though know
The mystery, “That if that which thou
Sleekest though findest not within thee,
Thou wilt never find it without thee,”
For behold; I have been with thee
From the beginning, and I am that
Which is attained at the end of desire.

 

For those of us that share in [deceased]’s beliefs death is simply the next step of the journey. We cross the veil to the other side, the Summerlands, and there wait and prepare the way for those that follow to join us on the next leg of our journey into the next life. It is in the Summerlands that [deceased] laughs and sings, dances and shouts. It is there that she waits for us, content in knowing that while it may be quite some time we will all meet again.

Closing Words or Prayer:

As we bring this rite to an end I would like to share this closing poem written in part by Mary Elizabeth Frye:

Do not come when I am dead
To sit beside a low green mound,
or bring the first gay daffodils,
Because I love them so,
For I shall not be there,
You cannot find me there.

Where will I be?
I will be reflected from the bright eyes of the children,
In the smile of the bride and groom on their wedding day;
In the flames of holiday candles;
In the joy of a family gathering.

I will warm your hands through the glow of the winter fire;
I will soothe you with the drop of rain on the roof;
And make your heart leap with the rhythm of the dance;
I will flood your soul with the flaming radiance of the sunrise;
And bring you peace in the tender rose and gold of the after sunset.

All these have made me happy
They are part of me;
I shall become part of them

And so…

Do not stand at my grave and weep,
I am not there, I do not sleep,
I am a thousand winds that blow
I am the diamond glints on snow
I am the sunlight on ripened grain
I am the gentle Autumn rain

When you awaken in the morning’s hush
I am the swift uplifting rush
Of quiet birds in circled flight
I am the soft stars that shine at night
Do not stand at my grave and cry
I am not there, I did not die
 

We called upon those energies that reside within us all, and keeping the light of all within our hearts and the love for [deceased] within our souls we ask for one more blessing

 
West:

WEST, the powers of emotion, as we leave help us to feel and heal in our own pace. 

South:

SOUTH, the power of passion, as we leave help us find new purpose that carries us forward rather than backwards. 

East:

EAST, the power of ideas, as we leave help us to plan well and live to our fullest.

North:

NORTH, the power of the earth, as we leave, help us take care of ourselves as well as each other.

West:

We open this space by invoking the divine Spirit, which always remains with us.

 
Thank you all for being here and honoring [deceased] in the way she most would have wanted. There is food for those of you that wish to stay and share a plate with each other and [deceased].