1st guide:
2nd guide:
1st station (Owl):
black veil
Owl mask
4 elements
2nd station (Bear):
Bear mask
4 elements
3rd station (Snake):
Snake mask
4 elements
small cauldron
4th station (Otter):
Otter mask
something to play with
4 elements
5th station (Eagle):
Eagle mask
4 elements
Owl speaks:
Shhhhh. Be silent. Hear what is not being said, see what is not being shown. The shadows hold secrets, both in the night and in the soul. For I am Owl, the bird of the night - I know the secrets of the darkness, and everything that transpires when the Sun is gone.
You were born very perceptive - yet over the years you have lost the ability to perceive. Let me share with you my secrets, and carry you deep within yourself, to discover the secrets you yourself have forgotten.
To begin your journey tonight, I give to you my sight, my night vision, that you may see what is hidden; what is within the shadows of your soul. I give you the gift of new vision.
Everyone leaves, walks through the veil, following Owl and Guide.
At second station, people gather round Bear.
Bear speaks (loudly and grumpily):
WHO is this interrupting my sleep!? Oh, I see Owl has sent me a new batch. Gather round, then - but be prepared for what you may learn.
I am Bear - I am your subconscious and your unconscious mind. I am discernment and discrimination. You see me in the sky as Ursus Major, or the Big Dipper, and I live within you as well.
Look at yourselves! No, I mean REALLY look at yourself - on the INSIDE. Who are you really? Is that really what you want to be? Are you truly following what you believe? And how well do you REALLY go by the Rede? You know, the one that says "if it harm none..."? This path requires more than just lip service, you know.
When I hibernate, I live upon my stored-up fat. There's no room in my body or in my den for unnecessary crap. Are the things YOU are storing up going to help you survive through the winter? Are you too critical of yourself or of others? Are you recognizing the blessings in your life? Are you neglecting your mind, your body, or your spirit?
You have a need to go deep within yourself - to awaken your inherent potential. You need to have periods in your life when you can be more reclusive. During these winters of the soul, give birth to ideas or projects, nurse them through the winter, then in spring, emerge with them to help them grow.
But remember - don't hibernate year round. You must come out of the den. Always keep the cub within alive, and don't forget to occasionally go out and climb a tree - and go out on a limb - if only to get a new perspective on things!
You must go within to awaken your power, but only by bringing it out into the open and applying it to your own life, will the sweet honey of life be tasted. To further your journey tonight, I give you the gift of introspection.
Guide leads group to third station. Wait till everyone gathers round and is silent.
Snake speaks:
Weeelcooome.... my dejected friends. Did Bear get you to thinking too much? Weelll, you have reached the lowest point of your journey now. You have some lessons still to learn.
I am Snake - I am the primal energy that lies coiled at the very base of your soul. As I rise within you, I bring transformation and healing. I will take you through the cycle of death, and bring you a rebirth. But know this - no worthy birth is accomplished without tears.
Look at what is going on around you and within you. Are you going to use the knowledge gained from Bear to heal, or will you allow it to destroy you, by doing nothing? For I am duality - I am life and death, joy and sorrow, trust and suspicion. Don't be afraid to shed your skin - to make a needed change. But don't try to force things too quickly! Learn compassion, forgiveness, and understanding, and also self-defense. Are you striking out at people when you shouldn't be? Or are you not striking when you should? Or do you know the difference?
Take a moment, and think on this. Into this leaf you are holding, pour all your negative, unwanted baggage. Let it all flow out of you, and off of you, and imagine yourself shedding your old, dead skin.
(Pause)
Take the gifts of clear vision and introspection you have been given, and apply them to yourselves now. Look deep within yourself, and begin to make the necessary changes. And as you allow me to rise within you, I will awaken your creative forces. Your sensitivity to the auras of others will increase. You will become in touch with yourself and the world around you, and your old skin is shed and a new one emerges. Trust what you feel, no matter how strange it may seem. Discard that which is harmful to you, keep what is healthy.
As you leave here, put your leaf into the fire, that your old skin may be totally shed and consumed by the flames.
Remember the cub in the tree - as your old skin is shed, your eyes will clear as they see the world anew - a new perspective. I give to you the gift of rebirth.
As Guide leads group up to Otter's station, Otter is laying on his/her back, playing with an object. She/he pays no attention till the group is completely gathered around, and the Guide has to say something to him/her. Otter then jumps up, looks around vigorously.
Otter speaks:
Oh goody! Someone to play with! Have you come here just to see me? Wheee! I'm so happy!
Excuse me! I'm Otter! As the child within you all, I welcome you. Shall we play a game? There's no better cure for most of our problems than fun and laughter! I'm curious (well, I guess I always am) - are you afraid to have fun? Are you afraid of someone else having fun at your expense? Don't be so SERIOUS all the time! What are you so worried about?
Get to know that little cub inside of you, and PLAY with it! You must keep this child within alive, or give birth to it. And when you do, protect it will all your might and will. And learn from it! And teach it! And let it grow and live! If you do, that inner child will give you a new perspective on things - it will awaken your own curiosity. Everything is interesting - it just depends on how you look at it. Wheee!
My kind are never alone, and neither should you be. Look at the people around you. Get to know them! Learn to trust, and others will trust you. Just remember to protect your boundaries - guard that child within until it has had time to grow and mature. In this way you can reach out to others, yet still protect yourself when necessary.
To further you in your journey tonight, I give you the gift of curiosity and joy, and a sense of fun and wonder.
Guide leads group to last, 5th station. Wait till all are gathered round.
Eagle speaks:
Welcome, my friends. Your journey has been long and arduous, but also, I hope, enlightening.
I am Eagle - I am the soul, the spirit, the very warmth of life. I am resurrection. I soar to great heights, to the very sun itself, and I survey all four directions with my new perception. I embody the spirit of the sun, and I bring you messages from the heavens
You have gone down deep within yourself, and sloughed off your old skin. You have left behind that which is harmful and negative. Now is the time of your rebirth, a time to see with new vision. Use the gifts you have been given to rediscover the lost child and awaken a higher sense of purity. Seek out the true emotional aspects of yourself and immerse yourself within them.
Take this feather, and as you hold it, think of all the positive energies you want to draw in to yourself. What type of person do you want to be?
(Pause)
As you fly toward the sun, you will gain an increased ability to see clearly, into the past, the present, and into the future. You will become so much more than you now appear to be. But you must be willing to accept the responsibility that goes with this. Events will now fly faster, and the repercussions for the actions you take - or that you fail to take - both positive and negative - will be far stronger and quicker than before. For when you fly close to the sun, you take the chance of getting scorched.
Go now, and take all the gifts given to you tonight. I give you yet another: confidence from within, and inspiration from above.
Do Freddie
It is done!