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| Rituals and Liturgies | |
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Earth Tenebrae An Earth Spirituality Ritual for the Vernal Equinox By Ken Cuthbertson |
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The Cosmic Christ and Global Warming, Retablo by Gene McClain |
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| Traditionally the Tenebrae (from the Medieval Latin word for
darkness or shadows) are songs and readings offered during the last three
days of Holy Week, and feature the use of candles in the ceremony. In
northern New Mexico it was combined with the Stations of the Cross in
the “Tinieblas” ritual observed by Catholic lay confraternities.
In this version the fourteen stations reflect the environmental crisis
and the growing impact of global warming. The ritual was composed for
a Vernal Equinox service held at Las Placitas Presbyterian Church in Placitas,
New Mexico, on St. Cuthbert's day, March 20, 2006. Please click here to download the complete Earth Tenebrae PDF file. |
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Earth Day Rituals The National Council of Churches Earth Day Sunday Resource for 2010 is now available. This resource, Sacred Spaces and an Abundant Life Worship Spaces as Stewardship is designed to empower congregations to take actions within their Church buildings to care for God’s Creation. It includes information on energy efficiency, water conservation and toxic materials reduction in addition to worship resources and sermon starters. You can find an electronic copy of the resource on our website at http://nccecojustice.org/resources/#earthdaysundayresources. |
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Welcoming the Day Earth Spirituality Rituals By Wallace Ford |
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 Sunrise Over Orwel Bay, photograph by Wallace Ford |
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| Welcoming
the Day is a creation centered ritual for use both by an individual
as well as a group. The ritual was birthed in a retreat setting at Ghost
Ranch in New Mexico and shaped into its present form through use by retreatants
and individuals over the past 14 years. The ritual draws upon Earth Spirit
traditions as well as personal testimonies by those who have used it on
a regular basis. The full text includes not only the ritual itself but
also numerous notes which expand on the background of the ritual as well
as its individual components. Please click here to download the complete Welcoming the Day PDF file. |
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| Welcoming the Night is a more recent exploration
into welcoming night and darkness as healing gift, thus setting aside
the more typical interpretation of darkness and night as sinister. This
ritual also emerged out of retreat settings and has since been refined
by individuals who have used it as a regular spiritual practice. It like
the companion ritual can be used by both individuals as well as groups.
The starting affirmation of the ritual is in the Genesis Creation Story
that affirms the goodness of both “evening and morning” a
single revelatory event. The complete file also contains several explanatory
notes. Please click here to download the complete Welcoming the Night PDF file. |
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Earth Day Ritual by The Rev. Elizabeth Lyman
Earth Sabbath began outdoors in the Memorial Garden with a renewal of baptism and prayer, |
