The Wheel of the Year – A Mystery Play
Characters:
The
Goddess (she begins
wearing a long white dress with
a long white veil
hidden under a long red
veil)
The God
(he begins wearing a
pure white outfit)
The
Narrator
Props:
Elemental Altars:
Candle
x4, Cords (long!)
x4,
Pieces of The Mantle x4 – each
with Velcro to make a full cloak and covered in dead foliage and
fruit
Incense and
burner, The Goddesses’
crown
Fire Brazier, The
Goddesses’ scepter
Water,
The Goddesses’
necklace
Salt, The
Goddesses’ belt
Center Props:
Sickle
(sharp)
Flower
Crown
God’s Crown
Circle’s
Edge:
Curtains….
Somehow. Suspended from a frame….?
North
West:
Throne of the
underworld
Black Cloak
with hood
(on the throne)
‘Nesting
area’
Chest
The
Mantle (in the chest) – cloak covered in flowers and fruits of all
stages of seasons
Red
veil in the chest
Doll
(sun god)
North East Props:
Two
curtains
Mirror
South East
Props:
Picnic stuff,
blankets
and pillows
Flowers
Knuckle
bones
Hidden Props:
Grey
veil
Green
tunic
‘Figure’
Mask
Ghostly veil
material for the god
'Lion
pelt'
'Monster hide'
'Dragon heart'
ALL IN
DARKNESS
QUARTER ALTARS ARE SET WITH THE ELEMENTAL
PROPS
NARRATOR WALKS AROUND CIRCLE LIGHTING CANDLES/INCENSE ON
QUARTER ALTARS
NARRATOR:
(WITH GOD/GODDESS JOINING IN ON THE ONE STEP ROUND LINES)
The Virgin Queen
crowned in light, labors ‘neath the stones
The Dawn Lord
adrift upon the waves-
With His birth the world is saved...
One
step round we go
In the East, sets
forth the Maid, rejoicing in Her reign
The Wanderer sampling
earthly charms
Seeking wonder in flesh and forms…
One
step round we go
The Bright Prince
led on a wild hunt, through danger and through pain
Spurred on
by She of Perfect Grace
Seeking to lead him to His fate...
One
step round we go
In the South, in
the flames, the Lover calls His mate
The Priestess rises and
leads Him on
Answering only to desires’ song...
One step
round we go
The King of All
surveys this land, tied directly to his fate
The Shadow Bride
within His bed
Lays a crown atop His head...
One step round
we go
In the West the
Corn King lays, blood dripping to the ground
The Mourning Hag
lets out a cry
The one She loves She sends to die...
One
step round we go
The Enchantress
searches for Her mate and finds Him in His shroud
The Slain King
who, through magic’s care
Returns too brief, yet sires an
heir...
One step round we go
In the North, the
Devourer sits, upon a bed of bones
The Pale King cradled ‘gainst
Her form
Seeking through death to be reborn...
One step
round we go
One step round we
go
Once more round we go...
Always around we
go
The year wheel is
a story.
Not a series of
stories, one tangentially related to the other. Not a set of tales to
be dusted off and read once a year each upon the appropriate day and
then folded back up into a book of lore.
The year wheel
is a single story. It flows and ebbs with the crops and rains, it
rises with the tides and falls with with autumn leaves. The year
wheel is the story of life; of the energies of birth and living and
loving and death and rebirth writ large across the collective
existence of human kind.
It is the oldest
story, and the only story – for all other stories exist within it.
The year wheel is
the story of the turning of the seasons of the earth and the turning
of the seasons of our lives. It both turns and is turned by the
dance of the goddess and god. Their unions, their separations, their
love and their sorrow.
And like a wheel, there is no
beginning, no finale. No firsts. No start. Eternal. Endless.
And
yet, for us to understand, we mere mortals trapped within the web of
time, we need beginnings.
And So... we begin. We begin
the story with how our own stories begin. With a birth……
GODDESS
ENTERS AND BEGINS TO STIR AND PUTTER IN THE
UNDERWORLD AREA LIKE SHES NESTING, SHE HUMS A
LULLABY
On Earth it is the
longest night of the year. Yule. The Winter Solstice. The sun has
set. The land is in darkness. The deepest darkness it has known. But
the sun will return to break the darkness, we know it will return..
or at least we trust it will. It has to. We need it to. …… It
must.
In the depths of
the underworld, the goddess dwells. A miracle is about to occur. An
impossible thing. In the darkest recesses of existence, in the
twilight kingdom of the dead, a child will be born. Life coming
forth in the land of death. A miracle.
She is the Virgin
Mother. The Blessed. Holy. She carries within herself the promise
made at Samhian – for even if this is our beginning, there still
exists the paths and events that have lead to the beginning. Our
lady conquered hell to find her love and through her he shall be
reborn, but reborn here in this place of shadow and memory. How can
such a thing be?
GODDESS STANDS,
EXAGGERATING A
PREGNANT FORM, GOES TO CHEST AND LIFTS OUT
THE
MANTEL HOLDING IT OVER HER STOMACH
GODDESS:
O
Mantle of Fertility. Thou art Life. Thou art life and light and fruit
and bloom, root and leaf, sap and seed and rot and decay and rebirth.
Thou art the lock
to the powers of the earth and thou art the key. Whosoever so bears
you bears the weight of nature and is tied to its cycles just as
those cycles are tied to whosoever bears The Mantle.
PLACES MANTLE AROUND
SHOULDERS
I am the Queen of
Heaven; yet here too I rule, if only in proxy as the Queen of Hell.
With this Mantle I regain my rule as the Queen of the Earth and of
the power of the life that teems upon and within it, and tonight that
life shall burst forth in the land of the dead and the shadows of
death shall fall before the reborn sun.
NARRATOR:
The
Mantle of Fertility.
The Mantle carries
with it all the powers of the fertility of the earth, it IS the
fertility of the earth. It must be worn, and must be worn by one
worthy of it, if not worn the power will fade and fall into eternal
winter and life itself will cease to be; if the wearer is not worthy,
the earth will sicken and rot, but rot without renewal and regrowth.
By the wearing of it, the wearer too is tied to the doom of the
earth, and will follow natures own fate.
GODDESS BEGINS LABOUR
PAINS, LAYS DOWN
From Maiden to
Mother
From Crescent to Full
From womb to encircling arms
Through the grace
of The Mantle
One flesh becomes two
And the wheel shall
turn evermore
Goddess:
(Chanting)
From Maiden to
Mother
From Crescent to Full
From womb to encircling arms
GODDESS CONTINUES
CHANTING DEVOLVES
INTO BIRTH WAILS, GIVES BIRTH THE “CHILD”
IS WRAPPED IN THE MANTLE WITH HER STILL WEARING IT
NARRATOR:
Through
the grace of The Mantle
One flesh becomes two
And the
wheel shall turn evermore
And so the Lord of the Dawn has
come forth. He who has begotten himself. The God reborn. Renewed.
Resurrected. He is the Promised Prince, the Heir Presumptive - he
has been reborn, but he must yet prove his worth if he is to truly
become his own inheritor.
But that is all
yet to come, for now we know only the glory of joy and the comfort of
hope. The God is reborn! The sun rises out of darkness!
GODDESS:
Your
birth has broken the strongest hold that sleep that has ever had upon
the earth and with your birth you have fulfilled your promise to
safeguard the light and the sun until the darkness' breaking.
My
child, you have so many choices ahead of you, and yet – you will
stand at the crossroads of choice and choose the same path again and
again and again and forever. My pride for you is matched only by my
sorrow.
GODDESS STANDS, TAKES
CHILD TO QUARTER
ALTARS USES SALT, WATER, INCENSE, AND
CANDLE
TO BLESS CHILD
Whether here in
Hell or in Heaven or in any of the corners of the earth, all life is
made up of four things, and with a fifth animating from behind.
I bless you with
these four things –
I bless you with
air – with wit and wisdom and wiles, with ways to twist words into
tools and with curiosity and confidence enough to walk boldly into
the unknown, just to see what is there.
I bless you with
fire – Passion. Drive. Strength. Love. Lust. I give to you an
unfulfillable need and I give to you the unending desire to fill that
need.
I bless you with
water- feelings and fears and tears and loves and the beautiful
terror felt while gazing into the depths of ocean or into the depths
of the night sky.
And earth - I
bless you with earth – with a form and flesh, bones and skin and
touch and the feel of wet moss on rocks under bare feet.
All things are
made up of four things, with a fifth animating it from behind. I
bless you with these four things. I do not bless you with the fifth -
for you are, as am I, that fifth thing
GODDESS SITS AGAIN
WITH BABY AND BEGINS TO SING A LULLABY
Sleep, my sun
child, in the cradle of night,
Rest, little star, until
mornings light.
Dream of the seasons, of sun and of rain.
Dream
of the heavens, where your light will reign
Mother's
beside you, whispering low,
Sleep now, Sun God, let your
brilliance flow.
Hush little star, as the year wheel turns
slow,
In the cradle of night, let your dreams grow
NARRATOR:
And one step round we go.
The winter solstice has
brought forth the son, the new sun, the boy child, the god. The light
reborn. But reborn as a boy child, as a new sun, light reborn yes,
but weak, impotent, all promise with no power; life looks towards
this sun, but can not be sustained by it. Not yet. Maybe one day.
Maybe never. Yule brings hope, not certainty.
GODDESS HIDES
BABY/DOLL AND THE YOUNG GOD EMERGES AND JOINS HER, THEY PLAY TOGETHER
But Yule does not
last forever, and one step round we go.
And with that step
we turn to Imbolc.
The light of the
flame in the darkness. The strengthening of that flame – brighter
now if not warmer – brighter, and growing. The god too, brighter
now and growing. The Young God… hope in the darkness – the heir
presumptive if not heir apparent – the idea of the returned god if
not the reality.
Deep within the underworld the young god
grows, marveling at all around him
God:
(laughing)
Mother, look! The way these crystals sparkle...
Goddess:
Yes, they shine like the stars
God: (looks
around confused)
What are stars mother?
Goddess:
They
are the little points of light that shine far up in the sky
God:
What
is sky mother?
Goddess:
Its like the roof of our cave, but over the whole world
God:
The
world?
Goddess:
It
doesn’t matter my little one
God:
Sometimes
I
think I hear something... beyond these walls. A sound like singing,
or a light trying to break through the darkness….. Is that the
world?
Goddess:
(Sighs, looks up as if she was seeing through the cave itself)
Yes little star, the world. The land of the living. It
beckons with light and song, but it is also a place of endings, of
death.
God:
(curious)
Death? What is death, Mother?
Goddess:
Death
is the end of one cycle and the beginning of another. If you ascend
to the world above, you will begin your journey through life, with
all its joys and sorrows. But know this: once you go, you will walk
towards your own death.
God:
And
if I stay here?
Goddess:
You will remain safe, never knowing pain or loss. But you will
also never grow, never experience the wonders of life. You will
remain as you are, forever.
God:
Forever sounds... lonely.
Goddess:
It can be. But the choice is yours, my child.
God:
I want to see what's up there, Mother. I want to know what the
light and sound are!
Goddess:
(resigned)
Then
we must leave this place, but remember what I have told you.
THE GOD AND GODDESS LEAVE THE UNDERWORLD, THE GOD IS AMAZED AT
EVERYTHING HE SEES. THE GODDESS WATCHES, PROUD, AND AFRAID
THEY DANCE A SIMPLE DANCE AROUND THE CIRCLE, SHE
POINTS THINGS OUT TO HIM, HE KEEPS SPEEDING UP AND RUNNING AHEAD AND
COMING BACK ASKING QUESTIONS
God:
(pointing)
What
is that?
Goddess:
A
flower
God:
Its
beautiful.
THE GOD SKIPS AHEAD
AND THEN RETURNS
What
is this?
(holding
open his hands)
Goddess:
A
bee
God:
Its
beautiful.
Goddess:
Be
careful of its sting
God:
Whats…
sting?
Goddess:
(smiling)
It
would hurt you little star
God:
Hurt?
I’ve never been…. Hurt... I wonder what that would be like
THE GOD SKIPS AHEAD
AND THEN RETURNS
What
is
that? (pointing)
Goddess:
A
log
God:
Why
is it falling apart
Goddess:
it
is dead my love, and rotting back into the earth
God:
Its
beautiful!
THE GOD RUNS OFF BUT DOESN'T RETURN
Goddess:
Wander, my child,
through darkness and light,
Wander the forests, wander the
night,
Explore, little star, the world wide and long.
Explore
the oceans, both stormy and calm
Be brave, my sweet
child, face each day anew,
Find, little star, all that life
brings for you.
My hearts always with you, filled with pride
and with fear,
Be brave, my dear one, my loves always near.
Explore now, my
star, and learn of the earth
Learn of the cycle of death and of
birth
Learn now, little one, but please take it slow,
In
the vast world around, let your dreams flow.
God:
Wander, I will,
through darkness and light,
Wander the forests, and wander the
night.
With wide eyes I see, the world fresh and so new,
The
mountains, the valleys, the skies deep and blue.
With courage, I’ll
greet both beauty and pain,
For it’s all a part of this life’s
great refrain.
I’ll wander through joy, through shadows and
fears,
For in every moment, something new does appear
The world is so
big, and my heart feels it grow,
With every new sight, with each
step I go.
So I wander, and wonder, and dream as I see,
This
world full of wonders, all waiting for me.
THE GODDESS STANDS
ALONE IN THE CENTRE, LOOKING DOWN AT
THE EARTH, SHE KNEELS,
PLACING HER HANDS ON THE GROUND
Goddess:
If
the earth is to be your playground my son, then let it bring forth
life and wonders for you. Let the seeds of growth be planted, let
the potential for life flow from me into the land so that it may wake
from its winter sleep.
GODDESS
REMOVES RED VEIL HAVING
THE WHITE ONE FALL AROUND, HER RED
VEIL SHE LEAVES IN THE CENTRE
Narrator:
And
so the potential for life returns to the land of the living. The
Goddess, once the Mother - now passing that power into the land
itself - becomes the Maiden of youth. She sends the spark of her
fertility into the earth and all the life it holds within and with on
it, the promise of renewal, the promise of return.
Goddess:
Life
begets life, an unending chain,
From death comes rebirth,
through joy and through pain.
I ignite Springs spark within the
earth's core,
So life may return, forever more.
THE GOD, FAR FROM THE
GODDESS SUDDENLY FEELS A POWERFUL PULL. HE SENSES THE SPARK OF LIFE
IN THE EARTH, IT CONSUMES HIS THOUGHTS AND HE FALLS TO HIS KNEES AND
PLACES HIS HANDS ON THE GROUND
(MIRRORING THE GODDESS)
God:
I
don't know what it is, but I must find it,
Merge with it,
worship it, be devoured by it.
This spark, this light, it calls
to my soul,
I must find what it is, to make myself whole
HE BEGINS TO LOOK
AROUND FOR THE SOURCE OF THE SPARK
NARRATOR:
And
one step round we go.
At Imbolc the
goddess gave the promise of the return of life, and the young gods
return brought the light of the sun and the promise of its warmth.
Now
we turn the wheel to Ostara where those promises begin to be
fulfilled.
The god continues to wander, searching for
the source of the pull he feels within himself, the source of the
life that is growing and blooming around him even as he himself is
growing and blooming. No longer a child but not yet a man, he
searches for the spark, but unknowingly he is also searching for
himself.
THE GOD RECREATES THE
DANCE THAT HE AND THE GODDESS
DID AT IMBOLC, HESITANT AT FIRST
AND THEN FASTER,
REMEMBERING THE STEPS
God:
Where
is the source of that spark? I felt it, so strong, so pure... I must
find it and show it my strength, my power, my worth!
HE COMES ACROSS THE
GODDESS WHO IS GARDENING IN THE SOUTH EAST
It's you! You're
the spark! I know you….. but…. You're different! I've felt you
call to me, you must have felt me too…. I am the god! I am
strength and power…. that spark, it must be for me, why else would
it call to me? With that spark I could conquer the world!
Goddess:
(without
looking up, calmly)
You
speak loudly, young god, but I see no substance. The spark you seek
is not found in noise or empty gestures. You are not yet whole, only
half a man playing at greatness."
God:
(taken
aback, but determined)
Half
a man?! Fine, then
I shall prove my worth to you! I will show you my strength, my valor,
my courage. You will see what I am capable of!
HE
STORMS OFF AND STOMPS AROUND MUTTERING TO HIMSELF, THE GODDESS
CONTINUES CALMLY WORKING ON HER GARDEN
God:
She is wrong, I'll show her
Goddess:
Ahhh, the rashness of youth
God:
I am the god!
Goddess:
He is a child
God:
I will posses the spark
Goddess:
The spark can not be possessed, only nurtured
God:
I will conquer all, I will be ruler and king!
Goddess:
One does not rule by conquering, but by the giving of ones self
God:
I
will conquer and show her my worth. I will slay monster and beast, I
will win over unbeatable foes, I will face terrible tasks and answer
unanswerable riddles. For her, I will become a hero. I will show her.
Narrator:
And
so, the rashness of youth and the certainty of his greatness drives
the young god. He seeks to prove himself worthy of the spark, worthy
of the goddess. He does not yet realize that if he can not find his
worth within himself than no deed or trial will grant it.
THE GOD WALKS
PROUDLY UP TO THE GODDESS, SHE DOESN'T RISE
God:
(triumphant)
Look,
Goddess! I have slain the mighty lion, greatest of all beasts! I
offer you its pelt as proof of my strength!
Goddess:
(glancing
at the pelt, unimpressed)
A
beast conquered by brute force is not a prize, it is merely a
reflection of your untamed pride.
This does not impress me,
young god.
THE GOD STORMS OFF, THE GODDESS CONTINUES GARDENING.
THE
GOD RETURNS
God:
(breathless,
but proud)
Here,
another trophy! No mere beast – but a monster! Felled by my hand!
Surely now you see my worth, surely now you see my glory!
Goddess:
(barely
looking at the hide)
You fight to prove
yourself, yet still, you do not see. Victory over monsters will not
make you whole.
This does not impress me, young god.
THE GOD STORMS OFF, THE GODDESS CONTINUES GARDENING.
THE GOD
RETURNS
God:
(desperately)
A
dragon’s heart, plucked from its chest! The greatest creature on
this earth, the most powerful, the most dangerous. And I killed it!
This must be enough, Goddess, to earn your favor!"
Goddess:
(shaking
her head, with gentle pity, she takes the heart)
As
all living things are my children, this beast too was beloved by me.
Its death does not please me. You
chase after power, after fleeting victories, yet the true battle lies
within, unseen and unchallenged.
This does not impress me, young
god.
THE GOD STORMS OFF
BUT KEEPS LOOKING BACK TO SEE IF THE GODDESS NOTICES (SHE DOESN’T)
WANDERS AND FINALLY FINDS THE
UNDERWORLD IN THE NORTH EAST
Narrator:
Disheartened
and disbelieving, the God stumbles away. He does not understand how
the goddess can not see his greatness, his power. He searches,
thinking for a way to impress upon the goddess his worth, he does not
yet know that he is actually searching for his own self.
He stumbles upon a
cave, a familiar place… his birthplace. He knows it, and yet it is
different, with new twists and passages. He enters, determined to
find what he has missed.
God:
What
is this place? It calls to me, like
a dream, I
know it and yet it feels unknown. Is this where I was born, or
something more? I must find the source, the truth, the spark!"
HE FOLLOWS MEMORIES
AND SHADOWS, SEARCHING, HE HEARS SOMETHING BEHIND
HIM AND WHIPS AROUND AND HE FACES
THE MIRROR IN THE NORTH EAST
God:
(panicked,
covering his eyes)
AHHHH!
No!
What is this? It’s horrible! All
my fears, all
I hate… I cannot face it!
HE SHAKES IN FEAR BUT
UNCOVERS HIS EYES AND LOOKS….INTO THE MIRROR PARTING THE TWO
CURTAINS MORE
God:
(whispers,
shocked)
It’s…
it’s me. All the fear, the hatred, the darkness… It’s within
me. I see my pride. I see my failings. I am my own monster? I
discovered the beauty of the earth and sought to keep it for myself
alone, I saw the bounty of life and sought to devour it. I saw the
goddess and demanded she acknowledge my greatness when the only thing
great in me was untapped potential.
THE
GOD REACHES OUT TO TOUCH HIS REFLECTION
Narrator:
Pride.
Insecurity. Violence. The will to dominate. The will to conquer
and devour and posses. It lies within us all. There is darkness in
all life, but darkness is not evil, it is a part of the balance.
Needed. Necessary. It is only when these things control us do they
lead to ruin.
God:
But
this… this shadow, it is part of me. And without it, I cannot be
complete. The bad can be used for good, if I accept it, If I take it
into myself and transform it; by doing so I shall become whole and
truly know myself
HE TAKES A DEEP
BREATH AND WALKS THOUGH THE CURTAINS
THE GODDESS RISES AND
BEGINS TO TAKE NOTICE, EVENTUALLY
WALKING OVER
GOD PUTS ON A GREEN TUNIC WHILE BEHIND THE CURTAIN
THE GOD EMERGES FROM THE NORTH EAST
THE
GODDESS IS STANDING THERE WAITING
God:
(humbly)
Goddess,
I have returned, not with trophies of slain beasts, but with myself,
whole and complete.
I offer you not a prize, but my true self,
in all my light and shadow, in all my strengths and failings
Goddess:
(smiling,
finally impressed)
Now,
you have truly returned, not as a half, but as a whole. This is what
impresses me, young god,
For now, you are ready to walk beside
me. As equals. As partners.
THE GODDESS HOLDS HER
HAND OUT AND THE GOD TAKES IT
God:
You were right, you have shown me the truth
Goddess:
Ahhh, the wisdom of experience
God:
I am the god
Goddess:
You are my equal
God:
The spark I sought I found within myself.
Goddess:
The spark can only ever be found there
God:
I will protect all, I will be ruler and king
Goddess:
You shall - by the giving of yourself; you shall conquer -
though love.
GOD AND GODDESS WALK
TOGETHER THROUGH THE
CURTAIN IN THE NORTH EAST
Narrator:
And
One step round we go
The god has passed
though his trials – he is initiated into the mysteries of life - no
longer the young god, no longer the heir presumptive; heir apparent
now – and soon to become more than that – soon to meet his doom,
and his crown, and his fate, and his destiny; and soon to fulfill
his deepest and truest dreams. He has proven himself worthy. Worthy
of the title God and worthy of the Goddess. And this day he receives
the reward for which he is worthy.
Today is the day the god
comes, authentic heir and proven prince, ready to bear his fate
GOD COMES OUT FROM
BEHIND CURTAIN IN THE SOUTH EAST
Today is the day
the Goddess comes – the maiden, the teacher, the priestess, the
bride –
GODDESS COMES OUT
FROM BEHIND CURTAIN IN THE SOUTH EAST
GODDESS FUSSES WITH THE
MANTLE
The
bearer of life and renewal and rot and rebirth. The bearer of the
mantle.
The mantle. The fertility of the land – the Mantle,
tied to its bearer as its bearer is tied to the earth.
Today
they declare their union,
they declare their merging, melding, their mating of existence, of
goddess and god, of light and dark, active and receptive
GOD AND GODDESS WALK
TOWARDS THE CENTER, MEET AND TAKE RIGHT HANDS
NARRATOR BINDS
HANDS WITH CORD
Union… unity…
love is the force that binds them…. But not just love, but the
cycles of life and of death, the cycles of moon and of sun, the
cycles of sowing and growing and harvesting and consumption.
God:
Union…
unity… love is the force that bind us, but not just love, but
strength and purpose too,
For the harmony of all that is, and
all that will be, today, we unite, not as halves completing the other
- but as wholes, complimenting
Be
with me my love, through sorrow and mirth,
Be with me, forever,
through death and rebirth,
The love that we share shall echo
through time
And all life shall sing in our story
Goddess:
Union…
unity… love is the force that guide us, but not just love, but
passion and wisdom too,
For the balance of all that is and all
that will be is our dance of power
Be with me, my sun
lord, in the bed of the night,
With me bright star, until
mornings light.
The love that we share shall engender the
earth
And all life shall sing of our glory
God:
I
crown you, my Goddess, my bride, my lover, my queen. I crown you not
just as the bearer of life, but as its ruler. You with strength that
rivals the mountains, with power that commands the storms, you are
that which brings order to chaos, the sword that brings justice, and
the shield that protects.
THE GOD PLACES THE
FLOWER CROWN UPON THE GODDESS
Goddess:
And
with this mantle, I embrace you and name you the nurturer and
protector of life.
With your love that flows like rivers and
your compassion that heals all wounds; with your nurturing spirit
that brings forth abundance – you, my God, you now hold the power
of fertility within and about you. The earth is yours……. and you
belong to the earth.
GODDESS TAKES THE
MANTLE AND PLACES IT ON THE GOD
Narrator:
The mantle!
The mantle has passed!
No longer are the
crops and fields and seeds and shoots tied to the ebb and flow of the
Goddess, but now tied to the strength and the lifeblood of the god.
Tied to the life of the god. Tied to the death of the god.
Goddess:
Remember,
my God, you now hold the power of fertility within you, it is tied to
you – all life is dependent now on the choices you shall soon have
to make. Carry this power with honor and grace.
GOD AND GODDESS KISS
AND WALK BEHIND A CURTAIN
GODDESS PUTS GREY WIG ON UNDER HER
WHITE VEIL
Narrator:
And so, the
merging, melding, mating of existence, of goddess and god, light and
dark, active and receptive. The passing of that spark – that
connection to the earth and the crops and the fields and the plants
and the berries and the seeds and roots and leaves and grains from
goddess to god.
The god carries the mantle now.
All life is
dependent on the gods strength, and thankfully, for the sake of all
life, the god is strong.
For now.
Half way round we
are, and half way round we've left to know
And so one step
more around we go
One step round. To
summer. To Litha, To the height of the strength of the god.
His
strength is no longer growing – but grown. He is grown. He is at
his prime. He shall never be stronger or greater or more powerful or
more perfect then than he is at this moment.
GOD AND GODDESS
EMERGE FROM CURTAIN
Goddess:
(pointing
to the earth around them)
I
am this
world, my beloved.
I am the earth that nourishes, the air that
gives breath, the fire that drives passion, the water that soothes. I
am life itself, eternal and changeless, but it is you, dear star, you
bring change to me.
Through you, I grow, I wither, and I bloom.
Our union creates the cycles of nature, The harvests, the seasons,
the very pulse of existence.
God:
(thoughtfully,
as they walk)
When
I wandered in my youth I
always saw the beauty in this world, the colors, the patterns, the
life that flourishes. But now, as you speak, I begin to see deeper,
to understand the connection we share,
And how our cycles echo
through all creation.
Narrator:
As a youth the god wandered though the world – in it but not
of it, not connected to it, nor was it connected to him.
But
then the mantle. The mantle of creation.
Now the god is not
only of the earth and the earth of him, but through the Mantle they
truly are one – what happens to one happens to the other.
And
so now the earth and all things of it sing with the great strength of
the god, revel in the power of life and grow and bloom and burst
forth.
Goddess:
Show
me, my bright star, show me what you discovered when you journeyed in
your youth, let me discover my world anew through your eyes
GOD AND GODDESS WALK
THE CIRCLE THREE TIMES.
THEY STOP AT THE EAST, THE GODDESS LIFTS
THE CORD TIED TO THE ALTAR
Goddess:
What of air did you see when you wandered as a youth?
God:
I
saw sound and songs whisper on the breezes, I was moved to laughter
and tears by wit and by words; I heard tales old as time.
Goddess:
And what do you see now?
God:
I see now.. The air…
not just a whisper, but a shout into the void, it is the clarity of
thought, the jumbled spark of innovation, I
listened, not just heard truths told in is
old tales.
GOD TAKES EASTS CORD
IN HAND WALK AND STOP AT SOUTH WHERE THE GODDESS PICKS UP THE CORD
TIED TO THE ALTAR
Goddess:
What of fire did you see when you wandered as a youth?
God:
I felt its warmth – reveled in it. I saw its beauty – I
reveled in that too. Excess, abundance, the glories of passions
inflamed.
Goddess:
And what do you see now?
God:
I see now, the Fire… it is within me, the burning desire to
protect, to love, to fight. I am the spark of this fire, and I am its
fuel. I am the keeper of its balance, for without it, the world would
be cold,
Yet uncontrolled, it would turn to ash
GOD
TAKES SOUTH CORD IN HAND, WALK AND STOP AT WEST WHERE THE
GODDESS PICKS UP THE CORD TIED TO THE ALTAR
Goddess:
What of water did
you see when you wandered as a youth?
God:
I saw the oceans swell and break, I saw waves reach into the
heavens and storms calm themselves in a single breath – I saw the
deepest regions of the globe. I saw into the coldest barren depths
and into waters teeming with fantastical life.
Goddess:
And what do you
see now?
God:
I
see that I am the force that shapes the heart that brings forth love
and happiness or brings forth solitude and sorrow. I am the one who
stirs the waters and who is stirred by them. I am who brings forth
life through love and compassion, yet also the storm that can break
the greatest foundations
GOD TAKES WEST CORD
IN HAND, WALK AND STOP AT NORTH WHERE THE GODDESS PICKS UP THE CORD
TIED TO THE ALTAR
Goddess:
What of earth did
you see when you wandered as a youth?
God:
I saw mountains as
tall as the heavens and trees nearly as so. Petals of every shade
the eye can see and many more beyond. I saw caves and canyons, soils
and stones in enough colours to make a rainbow blush.
Goddess:
And what do you
see now?
God:
I see now… the
earth is a reflection of our bond, the foundation of life, yes, but
also a mirror, and it reflects the strength and sustenance that I
must provide
GOD TAKES NORTH CORD
IN HAND AND THEY WALK TO THE CENTER
Goddess:
And here, here at
the centre of all things, at the cross roads of creation, what do you
see?
God:
I
see… or at least I begin to see,
My Goddess, this
journey is not just a path of discovery, but of responsibility, of
sacrifice. The world is not just for me to enjoy, but for me to
sustain, to protect, to nurture.
While all life needs you –
you need me, you who are unending experience end through me. You who
are eternal celebrate impermanence though me. Where you are
Necessity, I am Time.
Goddess:
You
begin to understand. This is a journey of mirth and of joy, but also
of work, and of sacrifice, and above all, of deep and abiding love.
I am eternal life,
death is outside my existence - and so it must be through you that
life is released and renewed, reformed, and regrown. Do you accept
this as your fate and as your doom and as your glory?
Do you stand as
does the wheat in the fields and trees in the orchards and the crops
in the earth, stand as a promise of harvest and eternal life? Do you
accept this as your fate and as your doom and as your glory?
Do you stand as
the god triumphant, King and leader and guardian, nurturer and
provider for all life? Do you stand here at the crossroads of
creation, holding the powers of creation, holding the powers of earth
and air and fire and water in your hand - yours to rule and protect
and nurture? Do you accept this as your fate and as your doom and as
your glory?
God:
I
do
Goddess:
(raising
the crown from
the ground)
With
this crown, I name you, the protector of all life, ruler of the
elements, keeper of the cycles.
Bound to the earth, as the
earth is bound to you; what happens to you, happens to all and as you
now stand in your greatest strength so too does the fertility of the
earth burst forth in abundance.
By the very powers of the
elements of creation that you hold I anoint you King. Ruler.
GODDESS KISSES HIS
FOREHEAD
You have proven
yourself and proven worthy.
God:
Where
before I saw a field of grain I see now see my own essence, my life’s
work,
Each seed and shoot, a part of me, growing, living. I am
the source, the defender, the protector of all.
I
understand now my lady
GODDESS PLACES HANDS OVER GODS WHICH ARE STILL HOLDING THE CORDS
Goddess:
Do
you
God:
My
strength prophesies my death, and your love is the bait and the
blade that brings it
about
Goddess:
Would
you have it any other way?
God:
Never
THEY PLACE THE CORDS
ENDS DOWN AT THE CENTRE OF THE CIRCLE
AND WALK OVER TO THE
SOUTH EAST AND RELAX AND REVEL
Narrator:
And
one step round we go.
From Litha to
Lughnasadh.
A long and lazy
step. The kind of step you take through a field soaked in sun as
you relishing the heat and breezes that dance upon your face.
The queen is
crowned, and the King too. Life is in order. Laughter abounds.
Love reigns. The days are long, the nights are peaceful; it is a
time to breath.
From Litha to Lughnasadh. The grain
ripens, the crops near ready, the seeds that feed life and the seeds
that guarantee rebirth grow as gold as the sun, their heads bow low
as if for the blade.
………….A promise has been made.
It's keeping is about to be called.
GOD AND GODDESS
LOUNGING TOGETHER PLAYING GAMES AND PICNICKING,
THE GOD IS
PLAYFULLY TOSSING A KNUCKLE BONE
God:
Shall
we play, my Goddess? A game? Shall we toss for wagers or shall we
toss for fates?
Goddess:
Let
us play for fates, my star, let us see our future lying hidden in the
roll of the bones
THE GOD TOSSES THE
KNUCKLE BONES ONTO THE GROUND THEY BOTH LEAN FORWARD CURIOUSLY
God:
The
first cast… Look, it speaks of a bountiful harvest, of fields
overflowing, of life and laughter! The earth will flourish, and all
will rejoice.
Goddess:
Indeed,
the earth shall bloom, and where there is life, there is joy, and
where there is joy, there is hope
THE GODDESS TOSSES
THE BONES
God:
Ah,
and this? It speaks of a grand celebration, of dances under the full
moon, of love and unity, of bonds unbroken.
Goddess:
A
prophecy of joy, of love's embrace, what better fate could we seek?
Let us dance in the moonlight, my love, And celebrate the life we
share.
THE GOD THROWS THE
BONES AGAIN. BOTH LOOK ILL AT EASE
God:
This…
this speaks of something darker, Something inevitable, something…
final.
Goddess:
(shaken)
It
is time, my God… the time of sacrifice, the time that must come.
For without your death, there will be no life, no rebirth, no cycle
to continue."
God:
I
agreed to this, and I will not
now
be forsworn, I will
not even beg for it not to be so…. and yet, yet...
why must it be so?
Why must I be the one to fall? There is so
much yet to do, so much life to live!
Goddess:
Because
it is the way of the world, the cycle that must turn, for every
beginning, there must be an end.
You wear the mantle. You and
the earth are one. You and the crops and seeds and grains are one.
If you do not die then the harvest can not happen – if the harvest
can not happen then humanity will fall. Life shall fall and rebirth
will not come to it. Seeds will no longer engender life. Souls will
no longer pass to the worlds beyond to
rest and then to be reborn.
The
cycle shall be broken and broken
shall I be.
I
can not sacrifice myself for the people, even to spare
you, my star – I am life eternal and unending and unwavering. I
can not die. And so you must.
God:
I
know, my love, I know. It is but that it is a heavy burden, but
one I will carry willingly and always. Forgive me.
Goddess:
There is nothing to forgive. We
will face it together, you will not be alone. And through your
sacrifice,
life will flourish eternally
Narrator:
The promise has been called in – the promise of life. The
promise of death. The god shall be sacrificed and by his sacrifice
the spark of eternal life shall flow into the earth and into the
crops and into those who consume it.
Devouring death to
engender rebirth, death safeguarding the cycles of life.
GOD AND GODDESS WALK
TO THE CENTER OF THE CIRCLE
GODDESS PICKS UP THE EARTH CORD
AND TIES IT TO THE GODS RIGHT LEG
Goddess:
To
the Earth, I bind you,
To the physical world, to the ground
beneath our feet,
To the soil that nourishes, to the roots that
anchor.
May you be the strength that sustains all life.
God:
I
am the Earth,
I am the foundation, the sustenance, The strength
that holds the world together
GODDESS TIES AIR CORD
TO RIGHT WRIST
Goddess:
To
the Air, I bind you,
To the thoughts that soar, to the breath of
life,
To the winds that carry seeds, to the ideas that
inspire.
May you be the mind that guides all life."
God:
I
am the Air, I am the thought, the inspiration, the breath that fills
the lungs of the world.
SHE TIES THE FIRE
CORD TO THE LEFT LEG
Goddess:
To
the Fire, I bind you,
To the passion that burns, to the warmth
that sustains,
To the flames that light the way, to the power
that drives action.
May you be the spark that ignites all life.
God:
I
am the Fire,
I am the passion, the warmth, the flame that fuels
the spirit of the world
SHE BINDS WATER CORD
TO RIGHT WRIST
Goddess:
To
the Water, I bind you,
To the emotions that flow, to the
currents that shape,
To the tides that rise and fall, to the
tears that cleanse.
May you be the soul that nurtures all life.
God:
I
am the Water,
As I am the emotion, the current, the tide that
moves the heart of the world.
THE GODDESS TAKES UP
THE SICKLE AND WALKS AROUND THE CIRCLE THREE TIMES OVER AND UNDER THE
CORDS MOVING OUTWARDS TO THE EDGE OF TEH CIRCLE. AFTER THREE TURNS
SHE TURNS AROUND AND WALKS WIDDERSHINS THREE TIMES, OVER AND UNDER
THE CORDS, SPIRALING INWARDS UNTIL SHE IS IN FRONT OF THE GOD
GODDESS:
You are those things …..and yet I cut you from them –
I cut you from
water and yet in water if left your emotion, your heart- removed from
you and set forth into the world.
CUTS WEST CORD
I
cut you from fire, and yet in fire is left your passion and warmth-
removed from you and set forth into the world.
CUTS
SOUTH CORD
I cut you from air, and yet in air is left your
inspiration, your thought- removed from you and set forth into the
world.
CUTS EAST CORD
I cut you from
earth, and yet in earth is left your strength, your substance-
removed from you and set forth into the world.
I cut from
you from earth , and yet in earth is left your life.
CUTS NORTH CORD
THE GOD FALLS TO HIS KNEES
WITH
ONE EXAGGERATED CUT THE GODDESS CUTS THE GODS NECK
And with this
final cut, I release you, from the ties that bind, from the life you
knew.
The sacrifice that must be made, for the sake of all that
is, for the sake of all that will be.
I am sorry my love.
And
thank you
THE GODDESS KISSES
HIS FOREHEAD
I anoint you my
star, I purify you in your final breath – you are a worthy
substitute and by your sacrifice you sanctify all life
THE GOD FALLS TO THE
GROUND AND THE GODDESS SCREAMS
20-30 SECOND PASS WITH NO
MOVEMENT
THE GOD RISES SLOWLY WITH LIQUID MOVEMENTS
HE
DELIBERATELY TAKES THE MANTLE AND HOLDS IT BY TWO CORNERS.
THE
GOD WALKS TOWARDS THE GODDESS, SHE TAKES THE OTHER TWO CORNERS OF THE
MANTLE, THEY STAND CHEST TO CHEST
THEY CIRCLE EACH OTHER SLOWLY
PULLING AWAY AND AS THE MANTLE IS STRETCHED OUT THE GOD DROPS HIS
CORNERS AND WITH A BOW, WALKS AWAY.
THE GODDESS HOLDS THE MANTLE
CLOSE AND THEN STIFFENS, LOOKS AT IT IN UTTER HORROR
Goddess:
No!
I cannot bear it, this is a symbol of loss, it carries the weight of
death! I can not bear it anymore
SHE
THROWS THE MANTEL
FROM HER (TO BEHIND
THE CURTAIN)
SHE PULLS OFF HER WHITE VEIL, AND
LEAVE IS ON THE GROUND-
TO HAVE A GREY WIG UNDERNEATH
THE GOD
WALKS TOWARDS
AND STANDS IN FRONT OF
THE
THRONE IN THE NORTH WEST
Narrator:
And
one
more step we go.
The
god, the
sacrificed
god,
entered
the kingdom of the dead, and in
that kingdom,
his
might and kindness
and his
glory was such that he charmed even its
denizens.
And the promise of rebirth that clung to his spirit was such that it
brought solace
and
hope to
even
the dead.
HE
GOD SITS ON THE THRONE OF HELL PUTS
ON A CLOAK THAT'S ON IT
He
could comfort the dead, but to
the living he could
only
hear
their
cries.
And
what he heard broke his heart.
He
heard
the wails of humanity – 'the Mantle is gone! No one wears it! The
earth has lost the life within it, we will not be reborn'
The
mantle. The spark of life. It lies forgotten, rotting, rent apart by
wind and rain and claw. Discarded pieces tossed to the quarters of
the earth.
Mabon
sees the
spark fading.
The
god, wills the goddess to hear him. Through the bonds of their love
he wills her to listen
God:(stands
and yells)
I
have kept my
promise but you, you o
goddess, you have
broken yours! The mantle rots and the fertility of the earth falls
with it. Take up your doom or else
you
doom all life
THE
GODDESS IS IN THE
PICNIC AREA BUT IS DISHEVELED AND CRYING
SHE SNAPS
HER HEAD UP AS IF SHE HAS HEARD SOMETHING.
ALMOST
BECOMES LUCID, BUT THEN DROPS BACK
THE GOD
STORMS OFF BEHIND THE CURTAIN PLACING HIS CROWN ONTO
THE THRONE
THE
GOD PUTS ON HIS 'GHOSTLY VEIL'
Goddess:
(muttering)
...No...no no no. What
does it matter? The wheel has stopped, the cycle is broken. He is
gone, and with him, all hope, All life, all purpose… gone.
Narrator:
Outside,
the voices of humanity still call to her. Sacrifices still made in
her name. The smell of burned incense and poured wine drifts to here
even here. Though she fights to shut it out
To shut it all out.
To sleep. To slip into oblivion. And drag all
existence with her.
But the endless calls and pleas and cries
and prayers and moans and wails and screams keep her awake
SHE
TRIES TO SLEEP. TRIES TO BLOCK OUT THE CRIES.
'Goddess',
they cry. 'Hear
our plea! The earth is barren, the spark
in
the seeds of the harvest dwindles. They carry neither nourishment
nor the promise of rebirth.
Nothing
can be born, nothing can grow!
The wheel does
not turn!'
Goddess:
(harshly, covering her
ears)
Cease
your wailing! I have given you all I had, now
leave me to my sorrow, let
the world rot, what do I care?"
SHE CAN NOT BLOCK
THE CRIES, THEY TORMENT HER
Enough! Enough!
FINE I
will do what must be done, If only to silence your cries,
To end
this torment you bring upon me!
THE GODDESS
WANDERS, LOOKING FOR THE PIECES OF THE MANTLE.
SHE FINDS THE
FIRST PIECE UNDER
THE QUARTER ALTAR SHE
PICKS IT UP AND PAUSES AND A FLICKER OF EMOTION CROSSES HER FACE
Goddess:
(softly, almost
reluctantly)
Here…
the first piece. So tattered, so torn, like
my heart… like the world.
SHE
SEARCHES MORE, SHE FINDS A SECOND PIECE AND ATTACHES IT TO THE FIRST
A part of him, a part of us.
A part of the world.
How could I have
abandoned it…
THE
GODDESS, MORE
ACTIVE NOW
SEARCHES MORE, SHE FINDS A THIRD PIECE AND ATTACHES IT TO THE OTHERS
A part of him, a part of us.
A part of the world.
How could I have
abandoned him to the
realms of death and shadow
God:
(his voice soft, echoing, hidden)
Goddess…
I hear you
THE
GODDESS SEARCHES MORE, SHE FINDS A FOURTH,
LAST PIECE AND,
ATTACHES IT TO THE OTHERS.
SHE
FALLS TO HER KNEE HOLDING
THE CLOAK
Goddess:
What
have I done? I have
ignored my duty, I have
ignored the mourning, the
grief of the earth, of humanity… Of my own heart.
I am so
sorry, my love, so sorry
THE GOD
WALKS TOWARDS HER
HE
REACHES DOWN AND TAKES HOLD OF TWO CORNERS OF THE MANTLE ,
THE
GODDESS RISES HOLDING
THE OTHER TWO CORNERS.
THE MANTLE IS STRETCHED OUT
BETWEEN THEM AS
THEY SPIRAL AROUND EACH OTHER
God:
(gently, yet with a tone
of chastisement)
Goddess,
my eternal love, you
cannot forsake your sacred duty, you
cannot abandon the earth. For if you do, I cannot return, I cannot be
reborn, and we…We will never be reunited.
THEY
CIRCLE EACH OTHER
GETTING CLOSER
Goddess:
I…
I was lost, lost
in grief, in sorrow, in anger. I could not bear the pain, but
you… you are right, I must turn the wheel, I must bring life back
to the earth.
THEY EMBRACE, THE
MANTLE BETWEEN THEM
God:
I understand, my
love, I know your pain, your fear. I cannot imagine a world without
you, for
you are eternal, unchanging. And
yet you change for
me, change so
that I may bring the future to pass,
So that I may create, and
renew.
THE GOD
PLACES THE RECONSTRUCTED MANTLE ON THE GODDESS
Narrator:
The
Mantle is saved!
The goddess has taken up the mantel.
The
Mantle is healing. Life is returned to the world once more.
Autumn’s
leaves have turned and fallen, but the tree shall not die; it only
slumbers now, where it very nearly simply ceased to be.
Fields
almost cursed barren now just lie fallow waiting to engender new
life
The seeds are alive and carry within them the promise of
life everlasting.
Goddess:
We will create anew
a
vessel for your return yet
again, a vessel for the hope of humanity. We will make a cradle
for life, A promise that the wheel will turn again.
God:
And through
this vessel I will
return, To walk beside you once more, To be
born and grow and
change and be
renewed, To
relearn mysteries, to relearn my self. To
fulfill the cycle of time."
THEY HOLD
THE CLOAK ABOVE THEM SO THEY ARE ENTIRELY SURROUNDED BY IT LIKE A
TENT
Narrator:
New life engendered. A new
vessle
to hold the god. The sun child-yet-to-be
New life engendered
and this new life is reflected through the mantle. Reflected onto
the earth.
After the time of harvest and reaping and dying and
cut stalks in bare feilds – a second bursting of life – of berry
and nut and fruit and the wild bounty of the woods.
New life to celebrate new
life. To give thanks for the turning of the wheel
THE EMBRACE
ENDS
THE GOD BOWS HIS HEAD AND PLACES HANDS ON GODDESSES STOMACH
God:
The
vessel is made, sacred and sanctified by being a part of your holy
body. A vessel conceived to carry my spirit. Worthy to carry my
spirit. Worthy to return to you.
But not yet. Not yet my
love.
I must return now to the lands of death and shadow. I who
now rule over the spirits of the dead, I carry the fate of the dead
with me as I once carried the fate of the
living.
My
rebirth must come in that place of death – birth where there is no
life, and so by
doing bring life
to all.
You must come to me there my lady
Goddess:
(shocked)
The
land of the dead. I can not. I am life. I am not strong enough.
SHE HOLDS
HER STOMACH
I can not risk
your vessel!!
God:
You must. And you can. You are stronger
than you believe,
you need only be reminded.
TAKES
AND PLACES
AIRS CROWN
ON HER HEAD
Remember
lady, your command of thought and wit, you guide the winds of change
with clarity and purpose
TAKES
AND PLACES
FIRES SCEPTER
IN
HER HAND
Remember your
passion, your enduring light, let
it burn brightly, guiding the way for all.
TAKES AND
PLACES WATERS
NECKLACE
AROUND HER
NECK
Remember your connection to
the waters .
Your love
and your compassion
for all life
TAKES
AND PLACES
EARTHS BELT
AROUND HER WAIST
Remember
your connection to the earth, your
strength
and your beauty, you are the foundation of all life.
THE GODDESS STANDS PROUD, REMINDED OF HER
SELF
Goddess:
I will carry on, my love,
until
the day you return, until
we are together again. I
will seek out the road to hell and I will join you before its throne
and there we
will turn the wheel once more.
God:
And
I will return, the cycle is unbroken, life
is eternal.
THEY
HOLD HANDS AS THE GOD BACKS AWAY, LETS
GO AND GOES BEHIND THE
CURTAIN IN
THE NORTH EAST
Narrator
And
one last step we go
Though not truly
last. Not really.
There is always a next step around
the wheel – it has
no beginning, no
finale. No firsts. No start. Eternal. Endless
And
yet, for us to understand, we mere mortals trapped within the web of
time, we need endings.
And So... we end.
We end
the story with how our own stories end.
With death……
Not
a
death. For that
we have seen already.
The death
demanded by the goddess and the
death devastating to
her.
Samhain is not about a death. It is about death itself.
And it is about
rebirth. The
guarantee
of rebirth. Samhian
brings certainty, not hope.
GODDESS WANDERS AROUND
The
goddess has wandered long. She has traveled the corners of the earth
in search of the gates to the underworld, in search of the road to
hell, in search of the god.
She
sought the gates to hell in all the corners of the earth. From Mabon
until now she has wandered, searching; until
now.
For
on
Samhain
night,
the gates to
Hell are
everywhere.
Goddess:
On
this sacred day, when the veils between worlds are thin, I
will confront my fate. I will harrow hell and hallow
the spirits held
there. I will
reclaim the Self of
the God – he who
died by my hand and he
who now is carried
with in my body
It
is only now, when the veils are at their thinnest, that
I, Life- eternal
and deathless-
can enter the realm of the dead.
SHE TAKES A DEEP BREATH
AND WALKS THE CIRCLE. WIDDERSHINS SHE IS STOPPED
AT THE NORTH
BY A MASKED FIGURE (THE
GOD) IN A
MASK.
Figure:
Goddess, you seek to enter
the realm of the dead, but
to pass, you must give up what grounds you,
What ties you to the
earth, to the physical world. What will you offer in exchange to
let you pass? Will you sacrifice you beauty of flesh and your
strength of form?
FIGURE
GRABS FORCEFULLY
AT HER BELT
Goddess:
This
is but a symbol of those. I would give it up to you should you let
me pass in search of my love, it is meaningless without him.
GODDESS
REMOVES BELT AND OFFERS IT. FIGURE CONSIDERS, TAKES IT AND
GESTURES HER PASS. SHE CONTINUES TO THE WEST AND IS CONFRONTED
BY THE FIGURE
Figure:
Goddess, you seek to enter
the realm of the dead, but
to pass, you must give up what flows
in you,
What
ties you to the water,
to the world of
feeling. What will
you offer in exchange to
let you pass? Will you let me take your compassion? Your hope?
FIGURE
GRABS FORCEFULLY
AT HER NECKLACE
Goddess:
This
is but the symbol of those. I would give it up to you should you let
me pass in search of my love, it is meaningless without him.
GODDESS
REMOVES NECKLACE
AND OFFERS IT. FIGURE CONSIDERS, TAKES IT AND GESTURES HER PASS.
SHE CONTINUES TO THE SOUTH
AND IS CONFRONTED BY THE FIGURE
Figure:
Goddess, you seek to enter
the realm of the dead, but
to pass, you must give up what burns
in you,
What
ties you to the fire,
to the world of
passion. What will
you offer in exchange to
let you pass? Would you give up your passion and your will
FIGURE
GRABS FORCEFULLY
AT SCEPTER
Goddess:
This
is but a symbol of those. I would
give it up to you should you let me pass in search of my love, it is
meaningless without him.
GODDESS
OFFERS
SCEPTER,
FIGURE CONSIDERS, TAKES IT AND GESTURES HER PASS. SHE CONTINUES TO
THE EAST
AND IS CONFRONTED BY THE
FIGURE
Figure:
Goddess, you seek to enter
the realm of the dead, but
to pass, you must give up what lifts
you,
What ties
you to the air,
to the world of
thought. What will
you offer in exchange to
let you pass? Would you loose your wit and your wisdom?
FIGURE
FORCEFULLY
GRABS AT
CROWN
Goddess:
This
is but a symbol of those. I would
give it up to you
should you let me pass in search of my love, it is meaningless
without him.
GODDESS
OFFERS THE
CROWN.
FIGURE CONSIDERS, TAKES IT AND GESTURES HER PASS. SHE CONTINUES TO
THE CENTER
AND IS CONFRONTED BY THE
FIGURE
Figure:
You
have given up your regalia, your
symbols of power, your earthly ties. Now, what remains? What will you
offer to
prove your worthiness, your right to be here? What
have you left that is worthy
enough to offer me?
Would you sacrifice yourself?
Goddess:
I have given up mere
symbols, but
what remains is me, the
essence of who I am. The
eternal, the deathless, the
one who loves, the one who endures. I
remain, and that is not something even should I desire to, that I can
be given up or
taken.
Figure:
Very
well. The mantle
that you wear then.
You could give that up. Offer that to me.
Goddess:
I can not
Figure:
Even
to save your love? Even to save your god
Goddess:
I…. I can not. This mantle is a promise, one I have made to
life. I nearly
broke that promise once, I will no do so again. I
will not stop the turning of the wheel. Not even to save my love.
There must be something else.
Figure:
You
will not give me yourself. You will not give me the mantle. Then
what have you left that is good enough to offer me? Would you
sacrifice the child that
you carry?
Goddess:
This child is the vessel for the rebirth of my love and the
hope of life everlasting for all that lives and has died. I will not
give it up
Figure:
Well
then, a third and
final time I ask.
THE
FIGURE REMOVES HIS MASK, IT IS THE GOD. HE SMILES
THEY WALK
TO THE SOUTH EAST PLACES
IT ON THE
GROUND, TAKES GREY VEIL OFF GODDESS, PLACES IT ON
THE GROUND.
A
third time I ask, what
will you give to
me?
You who
have proven yourself
to me below as
I proved myself to you in the world above.
Goddess:
I will give
myself to you as you have given yourself to me; as we always have and
will again and again and again. Always standing at the crossroads of
choice. Always choosing again and again life. And love. Always
love.
God:
But
this was not just a test for you, It was a test for us both,- for
I have come to love the earth,
To cherish humanity and all its
creatures and the
cycle of death and rebirth.
Goddess:
We
have united the three worlds, Heaven, Earth, and Hell, and
in doing so, we have tied humanity’s fate, to
our own
God:
Rule
here, Queen of Hell in my name while I am gone and growing and
waiting again to be born, so that when I am born, rebirth will come
to the land of the dead and all life will live eternal
I
who am the seed of all creation seek to be reborn through you, to let
the cycles flow and make the wheel ever turn.
Goddess:
I
who am the cauldron that holds all creation
within it, I
take
you into the life we have engendered, to let the cycles flow and make
the wheel ever turn.
THEY
EMBRACE WITH THE MANTLE LIFTED
AROUND THEM
BOTH
God:
I
will be with you, my love
through sorrow and mirth,
Be
with you through
cycles of death
and rebirth,
The love that we share shall echo through time
All
life
is part of
our story
Goddess:
Be
with me, my love,
in the dark
of the night,
With me bright star, until mornings light.
The
love that we share shall engender the earth
All
life shall sing of
our
glory
GOD GOES BEHIND THRONE AND THROUGH
CURTAIN
GODDESS PICKS UP
CROWN OFF THRONE, SITS ON
THRONE
AND HOLDS STOMACH, SINGING TO THE GOD
Hush,
my bright
star,
within me you sleep,
Cradled in warmth, in the darkness so
deep.
You are my bright one, my light yet to shine,
Nestled
within, where our spirits entwine.
Dream
of the dawn you will bring to the sky,
But for now, my dear sun,
in my womb
you do
lie.
One
day you will
rise, in the heavens above,
But for
now,
rest easy, in the my
cradle
of love.
THE GODDESS
RISES, PLACES
THE CROWN BACK IN THE CENTRE,
GOES BACK,
GENTLY TAKES
OFF THE MANTLE AND PLACES IT BACK INTO THE CHEST IT CAME OUT OF AT
YULE
Goddess:
Like
planting a seed.
SHE
PULLS A RED VEIL OUT OF THE CHEST AND PLACES IT OVER HER
For
now the earth rests, winter lays upon it, dormant but not not
devastated. Dreaming but not dead.
The the mantle will repair of its rending and be ready to bless the
birth of the god. The rebirth of
the god.
As
it ever was
And as it ever shall be.
THE
GODDESS SITS IN THE SPOT SHE WAS IN AT THE BEGINNING AT YULE AND
BEGINS TO PUTTER AND NEST
WHILE HUMMING.
Narrator:
As
it ever shall be
As it ever was
One
step round we go
Once more round we go
Always
around we go
