The Council of All Beings
By Terri Steelman, Jessa Fasel, Tom Medchill and a little bit from Scot Rhoads
This is an Esbat to restore our connection with nature and to offer our strength for healing. Each covener chooses an endangered animal before the ritual, and prepares (at least mentally) to speak for it. In addition, there are parts for a Priestess and Priest, four Quarters, a Maiden and a musician. The rite requires a bell, candles, a small cauldron for a fire or candle, a talking staff (which represents the holder's authority to speak) and cakes and ale. The rite also includes the songs Hoof & Horn, We All Come From the Goddess and White Buffalo Woman (see end).
Create a sacred place in a moonlit grove with altar dedicated to Diana and Pan. Set candles at the Quarters and begin.
The Maiden sweeps the Circle, symbolically cleaning out negative energies, then retreats to join the others. The Priest and Priestess enter. The Priestess lights the incense. They bless each other. Then the others enter, Quarters first (beginning with North).
Priest (anoints covener):
Thou art Goddess / God.
Priestess (challenging):
Who are you!
Covener:
I am [the animal they have chosen].
Priestess (showers covener
with gold dust):
Human no more, you are
[chosen animal].
The last to enter is responsible for discretely keeping a list of the chosen animals for the Priestess. The Priest is the last to disclose his animal and be so blessed.
The Priestess rings the bell to begin and lights the candles. Consecrate the salt or water in the names of Diana and Pan.
Quarters take the appropriate tools from altar and the Priestess leads them, casting Circle.
Priestess:
This is the boundary of the sacred circle. Naught but love shall enter. Naught but love shall emerge. We close this with your powers, Old Ones!
Light candles while passing them to the coveners. Quarters return the tools and step back to their spots.
Calling the Quarters
East:
Come spirit of the East, Spirit of the Eagle! [Covener adds anything that seems appropriate, for example: Let our thoughts soar on your wings to the far corners of Mother Earth, that we may ever think of Her.] Be with us now!
South:
Come spirit of the South, Spirit of the Lion! [Let our souls burn with the fire of your heart, that we may reunite with nature.] Be with us now!
West:
Come spirit of the West, Spirit of the Dolphin! [Let our feelings swim with you, becoming one with the Mother's blood.] Be with us now!
North:
Come spirit of the North, Spirit of the Buffalo! [Let our feet thread lovingly on the Earth, reminding us that we are all one.] Be with us now!
Calling the Goddess and God
Return focus to the Priest and Priestess.
Priestess:
We call you, Diana! Keeper of the balance, lady of the wild wood, protectress of nature, spirit of freedom eternal, mistress of magick and lady of the crescent moon, come! Join with our circle! Come! Be with our council! Be with us as we make our magick!
Priest:
Gentle Lord of the Dance, Your strength empowers us! Lord of the wild hunt, Your passion inspires us! Protector of the wild beasts, spark of the shining sun, come! Join with our circle! Come! Be with our council! Be with us as we make our magick!
Light the small cauldron at the center of the circle.
Priestess:
We are the council of all beings: We have come together to speak, to share, to heal. Each of us has a story and gift to lay before the Gods!
Priest:
I stand in balance between the worlds of Animal and Man. Speak to me that I may know your concerns.
All then clasp hands and begin to chant Hoof and Horn and We All Come from the Goddess. Then begin to dance to raise energy. Once it builds to a peak, ground the energy by pressing all hands to the Earth. The Quarters now sit on the earth. Feed the cauldron fire. The Priestess takes the talking staff and hands it to the Priest.
Priestess:
This worthy brother will speak first.
The Priest provides the example with his chosen animal. The elephant, for instance, would be an appropriate choice:
Elephant:
Behold, I am Elephant. Hear my words. For years I lived in peace in my jungle, in harmony with those I shared it with, including Man. Yes, he hunted me, but it was always for survival—not for profit. He wasted nothing and thanked me with song and dance. But later, others came who did not respect my jungle. They killed me. They cut me apart with their chain saws, leaving my body to rot — and all for mere vanity and profit. Then Man says Oh no, look what has happened. There are almost no more elephants. We must do something. So he gathers me up and locks me away on game preserves. Soon my numbers increase but I begin running out of food. I have to go farther and farther to find it. So Man says the elephants are getting out of control, and he interferes again. I fear that there is no stopping Man and one day soon I will go the way of so many great animals before me—thanks to Man's greed, stupidity and arrogance. I am Elephant and I have spoken!
The Priest then passes the staff to next covener, and so on until all have spoken. The last returns the staff to the Priestess.
Priestess
The Lady has seen and heard your concerns.
Priest:
To restore the balance it is time for the animals to teach. Open your minds and hearts to receive their gifts.
The Priestess then begins a soft drumming. Speaking as the animals, she guides a meditation for the animal self to reconnect with the covener who spoke for it:
We are still now, soft and silent. We have moved our silent ways through pain. We have moved our angry ways through pain. It is time to breathe peace. It is time to connect with life. Time to feel the flow, to know our place within. Breathe life, breathe light. Hear the trees, the gentle breezes. Feel the damp earth, the living grasses. Feel the comfort of the roots in the Earth.
We feel our fur! We feel our feathers! We feel our fins! We know the warm scents of life, the strength of muscle, the beat of heart. We gift of ourselves. Fur, fin and feather, we place in humans' care. We add our strength to theirs.
As humans share themselves with us, so too do we share with them. We give our gifts to the humans. [Using the list of animals, the Priestess divines a gift from each totem animal to its representative. Elephant, for example, might give strength, fortitude, stability, wisdom, etc.]
Now join again. Now reemerge whole and strong—knowing the pain, knowing the joy—connected with nature. Come through now. [The musician should now awaken to prepare to play.] Fur to skin, fin to skin, feather to skin. Breathe a long breath for woman. Breathe a long breath for man. Connect with self. Refreshed, alive, with knowledge be here now! So mote it be!
As the coveners begin to return to normal consciousness, cue the musician, then sing White Buffalo Woman.
Cakes and Ale
Priestess:
Gracious Goddess of Abundance, bless this wine. Infuse it with your love. In the names of Diana and Pan, I bless this wine.
Priest:
Powerful God of the Harvest, bless this bread. Infuse it with your love. In the names of Diana and Pan, I bless this bread.
The Priest takes up the athame and the Priestess takes the chalice.
Priest:
As the athame is to the male.
Priestess:
So the chalice is to the female.
Both:
And when joined they are truly one!
Share the wine and bread.
Closing
Thank and release the Quarters and the Lady and Lord. For example:
We thank you [animal] of the [direction] / Diana / Pan for having joined us in this magick Circle. Leave now in peace and love, and come when we call Thee again.
Merry Meet and Marry Part, Merry Meet Again!
Many thanks to all those who helped create this ritual and whose work inspired (or provided parts of) it.
Here are the lyrics for the songs used in this ritual. Feel free to use whatever songs you prefer.
White Buffalo Woman,
from Songs of the Spirit, 1984 Lisa Thief:
White Buffalo Woman, I seek thy vision
White Buffalo Woman, I seek thy grace
White Buffalo Woman, I seek thy wisdom
White Buffalo Woman, I seek thy peace
Fill me with thy vision, fill me with thy grace
Fill me with thy wisdom, fill me with thy peace
We All Come From the Goddess
(seems to be public domain, but hard to be sure):
We all come from the Goddess,
and unto Her we must return
like a drop of rain flowing to the ocean.
Hoof and horn, hoof and horn,
all that dies shall be reborn.
Corn and grain, corn and grain,
all that falls shall rise again. | 
