Mystery Play:
garlic bread from Red Lobster
2 poster boards: bread on one, corn
on other, joined together
cardboard sickle
Outline circle with 16 candles, each in sand in a white bag. Elements, candle at East.
On altar:
two beeswax candles, chalice of water, small keg of beer, drinking
vessels, 4 baskets of cornbread squares, corn husk doll, decorations (corn,
wheat, veggies, etc.), athame, bell, rag, matches, lighter, ritual.
Possible Priestesses:
Linda
Pat
Stacy
Michelle
Becky
Katrina
Bernie
Possible Priests:
Craig
Fiel
James
Gil
Drummer:
Craig
Smudgers:
Susan
Becky
Corn King:
Gil dressed in green, with poster boards
Mystery Play Priestess:
Mystery Play Priest:
Mystery Play Maiden:
Maiden:
"At this season in time, the summer is upon us, and good humor and gaeity are often the best antidotes to hot tempers and irritability. Thus Lammas-tide was often celebrated as carnivals and games to ease the tensions. With all this in mind we offer this mystery play, mixing deep insights with humor."
Introduce the Priestess/Goddess:
Maiden:
"We call upon the blessed Lady,
Queen of the Harvest, giver of life and plenty.
Give to us, as of old,
Thy joy, and beauty, and power."
Have Corn King come out from behind the fire, with corn side showing, as he is introduced:
Priest:
"We call upon the Lord of the Harvest,
Sacred King, giver of riches and protection.
Give to us, as of old,
Thy strength, and laughter, and power."
Priestess:
"Let us now mark here
The fullness of the season.
Life ever changing, ever new,
Ever expanding; stretching, unbreaking,
Since time immemorial."
Priestess takes up sickle, and leads a procession around the Corn King and the fire, to a drumbeat.
Chant:
The year wheel turns
And bounty comes
Fullfilling the cycle of life
Priestess stops near Corn King and holds up sickle.
Priestess:
"O great and timeless Goddess
We give thanks for this the season
Of the harvest.
We accept, with love and reverance,
This bounty from the breast,
And offer this sacrifice to thee,
O gracious and beautiful one."
Priestess makes cutting motion at the Corn King. He falls down 'dead.' (He should fall behind something, so he can flip his poster board around.)
Maiden:
"That the season of plenty
Shall return once more,
And in commemoration of life
Springing ever new from death,
I charge you now to bury
Within the earth
The offering we have made to Her."
Priestess:
"Behold, the Corn King is dead-"
Have Munchkins come out singing "Ding Dong, the witch is dead.." here. "Whoa! Stop! Wrong story! Down the trail, 3rd tree on the left." "Oh, sorry..."
Priestess:
"...Behold, the Corn King is dead.
But if he is dead, all is dead -
all that sleeps in my womb of Earth
would sleep forever.
What shall we do, therefore,
that the Corn King may live again?"
Maiden:
"Give us to eat the bread of life.
Then shall death lead on to rebirth."
Priestess:
"So mote it be."
Priestess takes bread and shares it around.
(Actually, the Corn King took the bread and threw it at everyone.)
Priestess:
"Come back to us, Corn King,
that the land may be fruitful."
Corn King rises up, with his bread side facing out. Dancing joyfully about, he tosses garlic bread to the audience.
Corn King:
"This is a time of joy,
To celebrate the life of the harvest
Take this bread of ,
And partake the wine of the Goddess."
Priestess & Maiden:
"And now --" (With great summoning powers...)
James, Fiel and Craig walk across with signs "Lets Party Dudes!".
Announce that we will meet on the Monument Rock at 7:45 for ritual.
As each person approaches the circle, ask them
"Will you come to celebrate this ritual of joy with us?"
and smudge them as they enter. Move around clockwise, forming a circle, with participants breaking off and going to their places.
Have everyone in circle chant "Horned One" while four corners lead all around in circle.
Horned One, Lover, Sun,
Leaper in the corn,
Deep in the Mother,
Die and be reborn.
Invoke the elements:
East:
Blessed light of sun and fire of warmth,
Flames of guidence,
Give comfort, brightness, and strength,
And be with us here as we celebrate this night.
South:
Blessed mountains, meadows, and forests,
Earth of abundance,
Bring forth harmony, richness, and beauty,
And be with us here as we celebrate all life.
West:
Blessed oceans, lakes, and streams,
Waters of healing,
Wash clear, bright, and fresh
And be with us here as we cleanse all in light.
Blessed winds of storm and flight,
Air of breath,
Blow clean and clear, sweeping through the skies,
And be with us here as we heal all lands from strife.
Priestess:
"The circle is cast,
We are between the worlds,
Beyond the bounds of time,
Where night and day,
Birth and death,
Joy and sorrow,
Meet as one."
Priestess:
"Dear Mother, we see you in the sun, the moon, and the earth. We know you in our hearts. Bless and guide us as we celebrate this night."
Speakers at the four corners:
N: What is this night?
S: It is the night of Lugnassad.
E: What is the meaning of this night?
W: It is the feast of bread.
N: What do we honor on this night?
S: We honor the fruits of the Earth, our ongoing sustenance.
E: After this feast of bread, what will we do?
W: We will tend and store our harvest, preserving what is
necessary to life.
N: How do we recognize our part of life on this night?
S: We knead the rough dough. We bake the earth's bread.
We call upon the Mother, the giver of nourishment.
E: Who helps us?
W: Our Goddess helps us.
N: What is our Goddess?
S: She is the benevolence of our mother planet, the rich gifts
of her soil, the fruits of her pains for the nourishment of
our bodies.
E: Who is our Goddess?
W: She is the Virgin of Light, the Crone of Darkness, the
Mother of Time.
N: Where is our Goddess?
S: She is in our hearts in all seasons of the turning year.
She surrounds us, she holds us, we live within her.
E: Who is our Goddess?
W: Behold, she is all the universe, but we find her in
ourselves.
Pause
Priestess:
"This is the wake of Lugh, the Corn King who dies when the grain is reaped. We stand now between hope and fear, in the time of waiting. In the fields, the grain is ripe but not yet harvested. We have worked hard to bring many new things to fruition, but the rewards are not yet certain. Now the Mother becomes the Reaper, the Implacable One who feeds on life that new life may grow. Light diminishes, the days shorten, summer passes. We gather to turn the Wheel, knowing that to harvest we must sacrifice, and warmth and light must pass into winter."
Tell all that we will lead them in a chain-procession dance, and to throw their paper person into the cauldron while chanting. On this paper person, they have written their fears and all they wish to be rid of. As they do this, they should concentrate on freeing themselves from their fears.Priestesses start a chant:
"To fire and ashes now depart
I release this past to cleanse my heart."
Lead people counter-clockwise, passing the fire. Everyone takes their paper person and tosses it into the fire, chanting:
"To fire and ashes now depart
I release this past to cleanse my heart."
After each passes by the fire, they go back into the circle.
PAUSE
Drum or rattle here
"By dying to our past we live renewed as John Barleycorn has died and has been been resurrected."Priestess holds up ear of corn.
Priestess:
"Behold the mystery of the grain! That which is both seed and sustenance. Within this grain is contained the three aspects of the Goddess: Virgin - the unmanifest new life in seed, Mother - the life-giving, fertile food spirit, protector of life, and Crone - the withered plant, gone to seed, ready for retirement to the underworld, awaiting resurrection."
"Let the wisdom of experience and introspection guide us as we close cycles which we have nourished, but now should shed. Such wisdom will help us as we undertake new experiences born of inspiration and guidence."
Pause
Priestess:
"Bread and brew, as gifts of the grain harvest, represent the mystery of transformation."
"In the tradition of countless peopleThe four corners take their baskets of cornbread, and pass them around the circle, saying to each: "Eat of the life that ever dies and is reborn."
Priestess:
"Of olden times our ancestors used ale to celebrate this season, since it seemed to them the blood of that beneficence which brought them barley bread. Let us share this symbol gladly in our company, with that same spirit."
One of the guys comes in and pours a glass of beer. He holds it up, making critical (and comical) grimaces with one side of his face at the liquid, and sips it. All in circle wait expectantly. He smacks his lips twice and pronounces it good, amid sighs of relief.The four corners come in to get filled glasses, and share them around the circle, saying: "Share of the blood of John Barleycorn."
Drum or rattle here
Priestess:
Dear Mother, we offer our prayers and our energy for the healing of the planet."
Response: Let there be joy and healing.
"We ask that you guide us and protect us as a community of people, seeking thy wisdom."Response: Let there be joy and healing.
"We ask for the healing of mankind and all our kindred on earth."Response: Let there be joy and healing.
We ask that you guide us in thy ways so that we may live in balance with ourselves and all that is created.Response: Let there be joy and healing.
"SO MOTE IT BE!!"
Do Freddie.
Priestess:
"As a family we have gathered to share
with the elements, earth, water, fire and air.
From this circle of mystery we now depart
to live our lives in our Mother's heart.
In service to Life we are as one.
We now depart - the circle is done."