Julie and Ziggy's wedding ceremony
Readings
Prayer for the Great Family
by Gary Snyder
after a Mohawk prayer
Gratitude to Mother Earth, sailing through
night and day-
and to her soil; rich, rare and sweet
in our minds so be it.
Gratitude to Plants, the sun-facing, light-
changing leaf and fine root-hairs;
standing still through wind and
rain; their dance is in the
flowering spiral grain
in our minds so be it.
Gratitude to Air, bearing the soaring Swift: and
silent Owl at dawn. Breath of
our song
clear spirit breeze
in our minds so be it.
Gratitude to Wild Beings, our brothers,
teaching secrets, freedoms, and
ways; who share with us their
milk; self-complete, brave and aware
in our minds so be it.
Gratitude to Water: clouds, lakes, rivers,
glaciers; holding or releasing;
streaming through all our bodies
salty seas.
in our minds so be it.
Gratitude to the Sun: blinding pulsing light
through trunks of trees, through
mists, warming caves where
bears and snakes sleep-he who
wakes us-
in our minds so be it.
Gratitude to the Great Sky
who holds billions of stars-and
goes yet
beyond that-beyond all powers,
and thoughts
and yet is within us-
Grandfather Space.
The Mind is his Wife.
so be it.
"Joy" from the Dhammapada
a Buddhist text
(excerpt)
O let us live in joy, in love amongst those who hate!
Among those who hate, let us live in love.
O let us live in joy, in health amongst those who are ill!
Among those who are ill, let us live in health.
O let us live in joy, in peace amongst those who struggle!
Among those who struggle, let us live in peace.
O let us live in joy, although having nothing!
In joy let us live like spirits of light!
Victory brings hate, because the defeated one is unhappy.
Those who surrender victory and defeat, they find joy.
Speech of Chief Sealth ("Chief Seattle's Lament")
(excerpt)
This we know.
The Earth does not belong to us;
we belongs to the Earth.
This we know.
All things are connected
like the blood which unites one family.
All things are connected.
Whatever befalls the Earth
befalls the sons and daughters of the Earth.
We did not weave the web of life,
we are merely a strand in it.
Whatever we do to the web,
we do to ourselves.
