Guided Walk through Physical Experience of Ancient Ritual by Jillian Burnett

In contemplating Goddess centered spirituality in my poem,
I wanted to examine the moments where we allow
our awareness to expand into the space where symbols
spiral outward from a single meaning into possibilities.

Each of us communes with our quiet spaces
in different ways, impressing meaning in moments,
our perceptions are in layers of expressed forms.
We have daily habits, and relax into our activities.
These we don’t always call rituals, as that connotation is something
supernatural or more than the everyday. But the small metaphors
and symbols that take on so much more meaning— adds density of
purpose in our understandings of we-here-now.

In my verse I set out to explore an old school ecstatic ritual
and build the elements and guide the reader through this sorcerous play.
This has deep meaning as our ancestors would have had ties and
community connections to insightful guidance from spirit guides of their culture.
On this colonized native American soil, colonizers settled and turned the matriarchal cultures and destroyed women in their own cultures.

 Witches were burned for giving life to words of manifestation; Goddess centered spirituality had been co-opted and colonized by religions of patriarchy.
In the poem several ritual objects are mentioned, for example
candles are used as tools of focus. Spices—herbs and plants have correspondence and symbolism to different connotations of mind, like sugar for its sweetness.
Additionally fire is an ancient symbol for life force, wisdom, and power.

This verse is a gate to a journey through one such ritual through observing its
performed activities as kinaesthetic awareness as somatic effects,
expressed through the wisdom of the body’s activity and the mind’s perception.
Finally, this poem guides the reader through the ceremony as an onlooker,
because observing is also participating. Reclaiming rites and rituals is also a way to bring observance of extraordinary into the ordinary, through concentration and focused awareness. This further connects us with our ancestors and our spirituality.

The Ritual

Anointing candle tying knot
Sprinkling spice flame rises up
Lowered voice haltered breath
Strum of chord eyes rollback
Stammering dance of rising heat

Afraid no longer spreading fire
wilderness growing arise from pyre
Birthing gladness shadows tire
Destroying strife sharpening knife
Cutting herbs medicine master
Glowing sunlike strengthening faster
Your daughters imbibe your power
No longer overseers will glower—towering
Over second class of slaves
Mother spirit entering the body’s frame
Destroying obstacles
Offering protection circle
Safety embodied
Your eternal womb holding humanity