I have always liked the fact that in military and mariner parlance, the term means roughly the same thing as S.O.S. The holiday that marks the beginning of the planting season is also a time of emergence so it follows that emergency would be just a why ("y") away... The hows and whys are often the most telling parts of salient questions. My long-time readers know that the perspective from which I come is not so unique as it is universal, the terms and language for many of my themes may require a bit of a stretch at times, but with luck and hopefully a bit of skill, when the dust settles it helps to clear the air on some of the stickier issues that we confront routinely. Unlike most sources of information, I try to elaborately dissect tricky ideas and concepts, so that we may move forward with positive changes on the road to sustainability with fresh eyes. I have long recognized that we are in a dangerously overburdened boat. Our lives depend on one another, but too often we turn our backs to the basic maintenance of the ship of state. Today, we have a holiday that stretches back into the dark recesses of time and offers a spark of new life in the age of so much death, carnage and destruction.
Like flying the flag upside down, at this moment in time, we best use every tool at our disposal to reach out, plant seeds and take care to develop the relationships that will carry us through the next dark time. although many are already making plans for the summer, our attention to tiny details in this moment will unleash their power over time to enrich, enlighten and nourish us in times of lack and need later on. Obeying the messages that come from our flickering screens and digital media alone will surely take us down a photon mediated path toward isolation and neglect, but what I will try to elucidate here are some of the terms under which we can all renew our selves, drink at the crystal clear spring (Spring) and share some of the powerful forces that allow this Mayday to mark, once again, a season of hope and integration. We not only need change at this moment in time, but we need to embody change, now more than ever. The ways that we reflect such change may be as varied as our numbers, but one thing is certain, without everyone in our community becoming engaged in this renewal, tough times will face us down the road. swift thinking and rapid action alone cannot save us from the damage caused by sowing sterile seed or the wanton destruction that usurps our power. What we need to do now is reach out to one another, stitch our dreams together into a vast tapestry and find a way forward together or surely die in isolation.
This understanding has been with me a lifetime. Being brought up in a land that has so fully gulped down the myth of the cowboy, it has seemed at times as if I was the only one confronting whatever difficulties appeared on my radar. Pagan rites are not just activities, they are physical manifestations of thought experiments. Like thought experiments, they allow us to "see" beyond mere physical limitations and both find and become intimate with concepts beyond our normal awareness. Like the variety of learning styles we all have, the ritual combines food, sound, touch, sight, aromas and spiritual connections to elaborate ideas that we cannot pick up from a book. That is why we dance the Maypole. Fortunately, there are those storytellers who keep ancient tradition alive and guide us on to a new and vital time when we are supported and integrated into a greater society. Especially in times that are characterized by estrangement, neglect and isolation, these are powerful messages with great value for our time.
The ribbons that we hold, when we begin our spiral dance around the pole are not just mere strips of colored fabric, they are physical manifestations of our connection to one another and the godhead. When we do our Maypole, we call out the colors and aspects of our relationships that the ribbons represent. Anyone familiar with the chakrahs will understand the relevance of color in our spiritual being. We include no only the rainbow colors, but usually ribbons of black, white and brown as well. We also discuss envisioning our hopes, dreams and prayers for the future being woven into a wonderful wholeness as we dance and spin our way around the Maypole. Our disparate paths combine into a brilliant design and this reflects our part in community, our integration into a social order in which no one is more important than any other and amongst whom all of our talents and dreams become relevant to the whole. The pole stands as a testament to this reality until the beginning of the dark time at Halloween, then with honor and respect for all that the pole represents we put it to bed for another winter, nesting, resting and renewing our bodies for another year of growth during our next spin around the seasons. This spinning of the sacred wheel of life is a way to make not only ourselves, but the communities that we inhabit whole, vibrant and secure for the coming generations a more hospitable place where they too will be heard and carry on our traditions.
Even if you do not have a place to put up a Maypole, you can do the ritual in your mind. Even if you cannot find ten friends to help you dance, there are ways to imagine the whole process. The joy that I have found in the process of actually dancing the Maypole is that over time it helps to create connections to both the past and the future, just being in the moment with the ribbons vibrating in the wind, I find myself made whole in ways that are difficult to express. There are plenty of resources out there for folks wanting to dance the Maypole, but if you have questions about how we do it, I welcome questions. This is the time to reach out to others, in community, integrating with others and forging relationship. We are a tribe of one on Spaceship Earth, we are all crew. Let our hands unite in affirming the earth in Her abundance. Let us till and plant, as one people, the seeds of our children's success. The best way that we can honor our own ancestors is to overcome their shortcomings and burdens as well as learn the lessons of apathy that led to their exploitation and grief. Before, during or after your ritual it is well to reflect on the hymn of the worker's struggle:We Are a Gentle Angry People
We are a gentle angry people,
and we are singing, singing for our lives X2
We are justice seeking people,
and we are singing, singing for our lives X2
We are young and old together,
and we are singing, singing for our lives X2
We are a land of many colors,
and we are singing, singing for our lives X2
We are gay and straight together,
and we are singing, singing for our lives X2
We are all in this together,
and we are singing, singing for our lives X2
We are a gentle loving people
and we are singing, singing for our lives X2
The times, truly are changing. It is for us but to spin the wheel in the direction we need things to go!
Like flying the flag upside down, at this moment in time, we best use every tool at our disposal to reach out, plant seeds and take care to develop the relationships that will carry us through the next dark time. although many are already making plans for the summer, our attention to tiny details in this moment will unleash their power over time to enrich, enlighten and nourish us in times of lack and need later on. Obeying the messages that come from our flickering screens and digital media alone will surely take us down a photon mediated path toward isolation and neglect, but what I will try to elucidate here are some of the terms under which we can all renew our selves, drink at the crystal clear spring (Spring) and share some of the powerful forces that allow this Mayday to mark, once again, a season of hope and integration. We not only need change at this moment in time, but we need to embody change, now more than ever. The ways that we reflect such change may be as varied as our numbers, but one thing is certain, without everyone in our community becoming engaged in this renewal, tough times will face us down the road. swift thinking and rapid action alone cannot save us from the damage caused by sowing sterile seed or the wanton destruction that usurps our power. What we need to do now is reach out to one another, stitch our dreams together into a vast tapestry and find a way forward together or surely die in isolation.
This understanding has been with me a lifetime. Being brought up in a land that has so fully gulped down the myth of the cowboy, it has seemed at times as if I was the only one confronting whatever difficulties appeared on my radar. Pagan rites are not just activities, they are physical manifestations of thought experiments. Like thought experiments, they allow us to "see" beyond mere physical limitations and both find and become intimate with concepts beyond our normal awareness. Like the variety of learning styles we all have, the ritual combines food, sound, touch, sight, aromas and spiritual connections to elaborate ideas that we cannot pick up from a book. That is why we dance the Maypole. Fortunately, there are those storytellers who keep ancient tradition alive and guide us on to a new and vital time when we are supported and integrated into a greater society. Especially in times that are characterized by estrangement, neglect and isolation, these are powerful messages with great value for our time.
The ribbons that we hold, when we begin our spiral dance around the pole are not just mere strips of colored fabric, they are physical manifestations of our connection to one another and the godhead. When we do our Maypole, we call out the colors and aspects of our relationships that the ribbons represent. Anyone familiar with the chakrahs will understand the relevance of color in our spiritual being. We include no only the rainbow colors, but usually ribbons of black, white and brown as well. We also discuss envisioning our hopes, dreams and prayers for the future being woven into a wonderful wholeness as we dance and spin our way around the Maypole. Our disparate paths combine into a brilliant design and this reflects our part in community, our integration into a social order in which no one is more important than any other and amongst whom all of our talents and dreams become relevant to the whole. The pole stands as a testament to this reality until the beginning of the dark time at Halloween, then with honor and respect for all that the pole represents we put it to bed for another winter, nesting, resting and renewing our bodies for another year of growth during our next spin around the seasons. This spinning of the sacred wheel of life is a way to make not only ourselves, but the communities that we inhabit whole, vibrant and secure for the coming generations a more hospitable place where they too will be heard and carry on our traditions.
Even if you do not have a place to put up a Maypole, you can do the ritual in your mind. Even if you cannot find ten friends to help you dance, there are ways to imagine the whole process. The joy that I have found in the process of actually dancing the Maypole is that over time it helps to create connections to both the past and the future, just being in the moment with the ribbons vibrating in the wind, I find myself made whole in ways that are difficult to express. There are plenty of resources out there for folks wanting to dance the Maypole, but if you have questions about how we do it, I welcome questions. This is the time to reach out to others, in community, integrating with others and forging relationship. We are a tribe of one on Spaceship Earth, we are all crew. Let our hands unite in affirming the earth in Her abundance. Let us till and plant, as one people, the seeds of our children's success. The best way that we can honor our own ancestors is to overcome their shortcomings and burdens as well as learn the lessons of apathy that led to their exploitation and grief. Before, during or after your ritual it is well to reflect on the hymn of the worker's struggle:We Are a Gentle Angry People
We are a gentle angry people,
and we are singing, singing for our lives X2
We are justice seeking people,
and we are singing, singing for our lives X2
We are young and old together,
and we are singing, singing for our lives X2
We are a land of many colors,
and we are singing, singing for our lives X2
We are gay and straight together,
and we are singing, singing for our lives X2
We are all in this together,
and we are singing, singing for our lives X2
We are a gentle loving people
and we are singing, singing for our lives X2
The times, truly are changing. It is for us but to spin the wheel in the direction we need things to go!
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