Shared Solstice/Equinox Ceremony

Pachamama Community:

Shared Solstice/Equinox Ceremony

This is an invitation to each Pachamama Community to adopt a shared Solstice/Equinox Ceremony that can unite us, guide us, and empower our actions in the world.

Overview

Here is a brief overview of the ritual elements, which your community can adapt and/or expand. The full context and instructions on how to perform the ceremony with your community follow, as well as suggestions for a ceremony to be performed by an individual who does not have a Pacha Community nearby.

• On the Solstices and Equinoxes (or as close as possible) your community gathers for this ceremony—in the same four times of year as other Pacha communities doing the same thing.
• Open sacred space and light a candle, acknowledging the spirit of the indigenous people who were originally in your area.
• Remind yourselves of your shared commitments to our work, in any of several ways.
• Request the guidance and support of Pachamama and the spirits of the local mountains and rivers for this work.
• Over a collection of small rocks contributed by your community members (representing your local “earth”) and one representing The Pachamama Alliance and the other Pacha communities, ritually pour water that signifies renewal and connection.
• Pour the water out on a tree or release it into a flowing source.
• Perform a closing prayer.

The Context for a Shared Solstice/Equinox Ceremony

The vision and purpose that we share is “bringing forth an environmentally sustainable, spiritually fulfilling, socially just human presence on the planet.” We know that these three fundamental commitments—to the Earth, to the human community, and to the spiritual reality that gives us purpose and meaning—all actually come out of one reality, Pachamama. Pachamama is the spirit that is the container for and embodiment of all space and time--and, for that reason, could equally be called God, Allah, Christ, Yahweh, or any other name that human beings have given this all-encompassing spirit.

Our commitment and work on behalf of Pachamama gains enormous strength and depth if we seek, on a regular basis, to consciously align it with Pachamama herself, particularly the three main ways she manifests in our lives: in the natural world, in our connection with the human community, and in a deeper connection with the spirit inside ourselves and all around us.

In addition, a shaman that we’ve been privileged to work with once asked us, “If you are committed to protecting the Earth and the mountains and rivers, wouldn’t it be a good idea to regularly ask the spirits of the Earth, mountains and rivers to guide youand support you in this work?” So the purposes of this ceremony are to align our spirits and work with Pachamama, to acknowledge her, to ask her (and the spirit of the land, mountains and rivers near us) for guidance and support, and to come together and renew our connection as a world-wide Pacha Community--by performing this ceremony at the same four times of each year, the Solstices and Equinoxes.

The Solstices and Equinoxes are appropriate for this ceremony because these are cosmic moment shared by the entire Earth at the same time (there is actually a single moment that the Solstices and Equinoxes occur on, for the entire Earth). And these moments also remind us of the nurture that we receive from both the light and the darkness and the balance between them, occurring and alternating in their rhythms and cycles. In addition, they are cosmic events that have been recognized by indigenous cultures throughout history as highly significant for all humanity—so this ceremony reminds us of the indigenous roots that we all share.

You are free to adapt this ritual to respect the unique reality and experience of each community (including adapting the name of the spirit being invoked), preserving the essential nature to the best degree you can. And if you live in an area that does not yet have a Pacha Community, please gather with even a single friend, or by yourself, and perform the parts of the ceremony that are appropriate for you.

After December 10, you can read more about this ceremony, and see a video about it, at the following URL: This ceremony will be adapted as our accumulated experience and wisdom reveals itself.

Community Renewal Ceremony for the Solstices and Equinoxes

This is a shared ceremony that will serve to renew each Pacha Community and the connection between us every three months--on the two Solstices and two Equinoxes each year, or as close to those dates as possible.

It begins with someone in the community taking responsibility for assembling and caring for a ritual object for the community—a bowl that contains rocks or shells that each member of the community has contributed, from the land that they each call “home,” to represent that person and that land and that connection with the Earth. This bowl represents the larger spirit of that regional community and its “land,” and it can also contain a rock from the home of The Pachamama Alliance, the San Francisco Bay Area (sent from the Pachamama offices upon request ). This bowl and collection of rocks and shells can be created in a community ritual of your own designing, to acknowledge what it represents—in fact, it can be created the first time your community performs this ceremony, with other rocks added later.

On the Solstices and Equinoxes (or as close to those dates as possible), the regional community gathers and performs a ritual generally along this format (it can be adapted as you and your community are moved to):

1)Set up the ritual space for the ceremony consciously, with a clear center (the altar) and a clear place for the participants. At the beginning, if you wish, you can offer some smudge (smoking sage or incense) to participants as a ritual “cleansing.”

2)Open sacred space with a prayer bringing people present, honoring Pachamama and the spirit of the land where you are, and acknowledging the spirit of the indigenous people that were on that land before Europeans arrived.

3)Light a candle, which can be seen as representing the masculine energy, the fire of creation and transformation. The water in the ceremony also represents the feminine energy, and thus this is a ceremony of balance.

4)Remind the community of your shared commitment(s), the reason that you live as a community, and/or invite each person to affirm or express their commitment. You might choose to read aloud the Pachamama Mission, Vision and Purpose Statement at this point (see below).

5)Take a moment to consciously ask the spirits of the Earth, rivers, and mountains (or whatever way you want to address the spirit(s) that can do this) to give you guidance and support, and to attune you to hearing that guidance and aligning with that support.

6)At this time, if any other ritual element seems appropriate to you and your community, you can perform that additional element. You could meditate and listen for guidance, make an offering of flowers or corn meal, or anything else that you are guided to do.

7)Pour some water (if possible, water collected from a flowing source, like a creek, river or ocean) over the stones in a bowl as a symbol of renewing our connection with our shared vision and our connection with each other. This water represents the feminine element of nurture (all life comes from and depends on water) and renewal.

8)Offer a prayer for renewal and revitalization—and this would be a good time to pray for any healing that is needed to support our common work (recommendation: try to make these prayers not personal in nature, but focused on the support of Pachamama and our collective vision and work).

9)Pour out this water either on a tree or into a place where water flows (the latter is preferred)—or you can pour the water into a container and present it (as part of the ritual) to someone who will pour it out into a running water source later, on behalf of the community, in a ritual spirit.

10)Perform a closing prayer appropriate to what has happened, expressing gratitude to whatever spirit or deity you have invoked earlier.

If There Is No Pacha Community Near You

If there is no Pacha Community near you, our recommendation is to find a friend or friends to perform a similar ceremony on the Solstice and Equinox. The purpose is to take the time to honor and remind yourself of your connection with Pachamama, Mother Earth, and your connection with others worldwide who share a common vision for the future.And perhaps you and this friend or friends can be the beginning of your Pacha Community!

If you are choosing to perform this ritual in your community, please send a small rock (about the size of a walnut) to the offices of the Pachamama Alliance (FAO: Pat Usner, The Pachamama Alliance, Presidio Building #1009, PO Box 29191, San Francisco, CA 94129), so that we can include this symbol of your community on our altar (if your community was represented at the Pacha Community Leadership Huddle in September 2012 near San Francisco, we will already have a rock from your community).

If you have have any questions about this ceremony, please contact Pat Usner () or Ruel Walker ().

THE PACHAMAMA ALLIANCE

MISSION

Our mission is to empower indigenous people of the Amazon rainforest to preserve their lands and culture

and, using insights gained from that work,

to educate and inspire individuals everywhere to bring forth a thriving, just and sustainable world.

VISION

The vision that informs The Pachamama Alliance's work is of a world that works for everyone: an environmentally sustainable, spiritually fulfilling, socially just human presence on this planet -- a New Dream for humanity.

PURPOSE

The Pachamama Alliance, empowered by our partnership with indigenous people, is dedicated to bringing forth an environmentally sustainable, spiritually fulfilling, socially just human presence on this planet.

Our unique contribution is to generate, and engage people everywhere in, transformational conversations and experiences consistent with this purpose. We weave together indigenous and modern worldviews such that human beings are in touch with their dignity and are ennobled by the magnificence, mystery and opportunity of what is possible for humanity at this time.

We are here to inspire and galvanize the human family to generate a critical mass of conscious commitment to a thriving, just and sustainable way of life on Earth. This is a commitment to transforming human systems and structures that separate us, and to transforming our relationships with ourselves, with one another, and with the natural world.

12/3/12

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