SACRED EARTH as of June 4, 2017/ with Slide Guide

[1] ENTRY: choose stone from stones in bowls of (warm?) water, arranged artfully and elementally with herbs, candles, fans?

OPENING: [2] Invocation: Calling All Angels (chorus). Laura & others, Cam shaker Calling all angels here to guide you Calling all angels to surround you Calling all angels to walk beside you Love, may you walk on solid ground, on solid ground

[3] Welcome, housekeeping announcements: Laura We are seven women: mothers, grandmothers, and elders with about 400 years of combined experience, here to express a great love, to nurture a deep and abiding faith in the power and beauty of natural forces, to shore up together with you our grief and concern for a relationship that needs tending: our relationship to the sacred earth. Thank you for joining us. Please silence any beeping or ringing devices. Know that there will be no intermission. The program will flow indoors until approaching sunset, when we will finish outdoors. Restrooms are at the back of the social hall if you need them at any time.

[4] E.B White letter Cam “As long as there is one upright man, as long as there is one compassionate woman, the contagion may spread and the scene is not desolate. Hope is the thing that is left to us, in a bad time. It is quite obvious that the human race has made a queer mess of life on this planet. But as a people we probably harbor seeds of goodness that have lain for a long time waiting to sprout when the conditions are right.”

[5] One With The Earth led by Laura. All sing. [6] Who am I? I am one with the earth And all that I have and I am as a person Comes from the Earth, shall return to the Earth [7] There is no world apart from this one There is no life for me apart from this Earth [8] Who are we . . . [9] There is no world . . .

[10] Stone meditation Cam, Laura on percussion Meditation on a Stone: adapted from Jill Hammer at Tel Shemesh In Jewish mystical tradition, stones are referred to as “domemim” or “silent beings” and are manifestations of the world of the earth. Stones have wisdom to teach us. They represent eternal knowing and remembering.

Human beings have a special bond with stone. We place stones on a gravesite in memory of the deceased. We stand in awe of stone in mountains and monuments. We recognize something of ourselves in stone for we are of the same dust as the canyons and the cosmos.

As you begin, feel in your body that you and the stone are both resting on the same earth. DRUM/shaker SOUNDS Observe its physical qualities. Try to observe as closely as possible, using eyes and hands.

Close your eyes and meditate on the stone without looking. Feel the silence and the great age of the stone.

Imagine that you are also a stone, with a stone’s silence. What wisdom do you learn from being a stone?

Ask this stone, this domemim or silent being, to give you a teaching or vision you need. What does the stone tell you? Does it speak or express itself some other way?

If you feel it is proper, ask the stone to give you a gift or a blessing.

When ready, say farewell to the stone and offer it your thanks.

[Offer a blessing to the stone:] Birthstone of the universe, you who dwell in the pebbles of the earth and in the furnace of the stars where stone is made, put in my heart the strength, persistence, and humility of stones. In the world of earth, the world of air, the world of water, the world of fire, in all the worlds, and so it is. Amen.

[11] EARTH SECTION:

[12] Things not Carried Away Poem by Lorraine, Laura joins on song I might be walking through grassland bejeweled with wildflowers. It’s happened when driving across the desert a left turn up a blind canyon there it is, the abandoned house, the fallen in root cellar, the apple trees still standing like arthritic old men with gaps between rows where some have fallen.

I’ve found rusted tin cans and old bed springs high up in the Sierra mountains near a lake. Once somewhere in Alaska We came upon a whole log cabin with the roof fallen in the walls still chinked with moss, leaves and dried mud.

Little tender secrets of an entire life that vanished I am intensely curious, what did it look like? What tired woman pushed open the door to the summer face of red blossoms? What man pushed back the black darkness of evergreens with a split rail fence?

Whole lifetimes rising out of Sears Roebuck Catalogues Crisp white houses with wide porches surrounded by blooming nut trees, flanked by tidy kitchen gardens there it is - the barn where a harness still lies on the floor and the ghost of a dusty mule stands patiently on the hard packed earth

I’m sorry if it’s necessary to continue to say I’m sorry to the earth for our carelessness without recognizing our place on it - there it is, the home, the love, the family, the music, the lilac where lovers courted, the fruit in a child’s hand.

I believe that human nature at its center is not bent on destruction but on delivery. and when I find these labors long since gone quiet I am the midwife arriving too late, scooping the newborn from the bloody sheets, imagining a new and rightful relationship with the world.

[13] SONG: The Lilac and the Apple by Kate Wolf Lorraine A Lilac bush and an Apple tree Were standing in the woods Out on the hill above the town, Where once a farmhouse stood.

In the winter the leaves are bare And no one sees the signs Of a house that stood and a garden that grew And life in another time.

One Spring when the buds came bursting forth And grass grew on the land, The Lilac spoke to the Apple tree As only an old friend can.

Laura Do you think, said the Lilac, this might be the year When someone will build here once more? Here by the cellar, still open and deep, There's room for new walls and a floor.

Lorraine Oh, no, said the Apple, there are so few Who come here on the mountain this way And when they do, they don't often see Why we're growing here, so far away.

Both A long time ago we were planted by hands That worked in the mines and the mills When the country was young and the people who came Built their homes in the hills.

But now there are cities, the roads have come And no one lives here today And the only signs of the farms in the hills Are the things not carried away

Broken dishes, piles of boards, A tin plate, an old leather shoe. And an Apple tree still bending down And a Lilac where a garden once grew.

[14] Earthworm Dance Mimi leads, Laura drums, all participate The earthworms dance with a wiggle and a bend The soil goes in the front and comes out the other end Comes out the other end and it’s better for the trip Do the earthworm dance with a sli-i-ide slip slip

It’s the earthworm dance, wiggle wiggle wiggle It’s the earthworm dance, get down

The earthworms dance with a slip slide slide They tunnel through the soil and let the air inside And that’s good for the roots, good for the shoots And good for the people who eat the fruits

It’s the earthworm dance, wiggle wiggle wiggle It’s the earthworm dance, get down

A worm looks simple, just head and tal But if it weren’t for the worms every farm would fail So here’s to the earthworms all in a coil Their dance is deep, their dance is deep, their dance is deep and they elevate the soil

It’s the earthworm dance, wiggle wiggle wiggle It’s the earthworm dance, get down

The earthworms dance with a glide and a curve The worms never get the credit they deserve When we really should be on the best of terms So come on everybody, c’mon, c’mon, let’s dance for the worms

It’s the earthworm dance, wiggle wiggle wiggle It’s the earthworm dance, get down

Poem Written on a Calculator Wendy introduces, Cam reads, Others sweep. [15] [intro] EARTH. From satellites we see our planet Earth as a blue globe in infinite space. Zooming in we find earth sometimes synonymous with soil, a surface layer perhaps four feet deep covering part of the planet. This is the “earth” in which billions of microbes flourish; in which plants, the base of our food chain, are anchored and nourished; the solid foundation for our homes. Soil has been called the ecstatic skin of our planet. And from another perhaps mundane perspective, we think of dirt and dust, particulate forms of earth. How can we keep a house clean, banish dirt, and still retain our love of earth? Cam will read one woman’s perspective. [16] An excerpt from Poem Written on a Calculator, by Marian H. Neudel. [Cam reads] I am fifty years old. My mother once decided I was old enough to sweep, and dust, and vacuum, [sweepers start] when I was ten. So every week since then (give or take a few) I have picked up:

Three-quarters of a pound of dust, and Half a pound of some kind of hair.

That's one thousand five hundred sixty pounds of dust And one thousand forty pounds of some kind of hair, So far.

That's roughly three-quarters of a ton of dust. Probably mostly coal dust, from electric plants and factories. Figure the average miner digs sixteen tons of coal a day; so my dust is less than one percent of his day's labor. Or, looked at the other way around, if he works forty years he'll mine enough coal to keep ten thousand housewives busy, except, of course, that the same dust keeps going round again, swept up, thrown out, and blown into some other home. Ten thousand is just the first go'round. After that--untold millions. Perhaps all of us, every woman who has ever swept, has been sweeping the same dust, from the same miner's lifetime of digging, over our lifetimes of sweeping. And all the other miners--where does their work go? Perhaps to occupy the females of other worlds or cleaner dimensions. [sweepers stop]

For forty years. A single miner's labor has been circulating through all the air of our planet For centuries untold. And they say there's no romance in numbers, No excitement in housework!

[17] This Is Your Ground Mimi (guitar, lead), Laura (bass), Wendy (accordion), Cam (shakers, verse 2&4 solo), Betsy, Dana sing echoes on chorus. Like a magnet attracts a pin The earth attracts us and holds us in We won’t fly off to Venus or Mars Even though we’re shooting stars

CHORUS Lie on the grass / and breathe the air Feel the force / that holds you there You shining star / you soaring song This is your ground / here you belong

The days fly by when you’re living large When you’re thinking deep and you’re taking charge No matter how high you leap and spin The planet reels you in CHORUS

The fish that swim and the birds that fly The mole in the ground and you and I The law of gravity holds the dove But we could call it love CHORUS

Through day’s confusion and night’s alarms We’re held in the planet’s leafy arms When I’m too far to reach your hand You’ve got a place to stand CHORUS

[18] AIR SECTION:

[19] BUBBLES Laura with others supporting. Betsy at piano for pitches.

Chair center stage, Wavy hat, certificate, and R side table with singing bowl arranged.

[20] Wavy Gravy mounts the Rainbow Stage each morning of camp, holding court with all the children of Winnarainbow.

Children assemble on the ground in front of the chair.

They fidget, apply sunscreen, and braid hair while he unfurls another Morning Reading: stories, jokes, poetry, and always a moment when

Everything Stops. Children freeze, then follow instructions. [hat on] “Sit up straight! Ding [the singing bowl is struck] Breathing in, we calm our bodies, sending fresh lemonade to every cell! Ding Breathing out, we smile to the four corners of the universe! Ding Breathing in: this supreme moment Ding Breathing out: It’s a wonderful moment! Give it to me!” “YES! YES! YES!” “I said give it to me! [to audience] YES! YES! YES!” [hat off, standing]

Those yeses can be heard vibrating through the air across camp, radiating oxygen and optimism.

[21] (sung) Breathing in I calm body and mind, breathing out I smile, I smile (repeat with sing-along, 3 times total)

Ding Breathing in, I answer the phone Ding Breathing out, it is bad news Ding This supreme moment Ding A friend vanishes into thin air

[22] The camp community lost Sam this spring. He was an improv master who taught loud games and full commitment.

[Hat on]Wavy Gravy was there at Sam’s celebration of life. [23] He called out “Good Grief!” and asked everyone to join him.

“Good Grief”!

Hundreds of voices vibrated among the trees. Bubbles floated through the picnic area where we gathered. [hat off] Bubble blowing by Cam until the end of speaking.

[24] Bubbles: spherical packages of air bundled up in rainbow-shining skins. They are so temporary, but we don’t seem to mind their comings and goings. They are like moments made of air and soap, moments coming and going.

[25] (sung) Dwelling in the present moment, I know this is the only moment. (repeat with sing-along, 3x total)

“Campers” crowd together Stage Left waiting for their certificates. [26] Bubbles float through awards night at camp, too—the last night of the session, when each camper gets a certificate and a turn onstage with the microphone, to thank a teacher or shout out to a friend.

Hat on Laura, she sits again in the chair

[27] “For accomplishments in the fields of stilts, unicycle, art, and hanging out at the creek, this one goes out to . . .Wendy!” Wendy receives it in slow motion, campers freeze. Wavy intones as bubbles blow across the rainbow.

[28] [hat off] Air is that thing that seems to be nothing. It’s everywhere around me, but as I sit in the dark audience with the kids on awards night, looking up at the bright stage, I don’t even know I am breathing. If I couldn’t get enough air, if any one of those kids couldn’t get enough air, I would sure notice it.

Maybe love is like air. Maybe I’m living in it and breathing it, but I forget to notice it until one big friendly-faced bubble of it is taken away, and I can’t catch my breath.

[29] For accomplishments in the fields of improv, big-heartedness, loud talking, and long hugs, this certificate goes out to Sam, whose bubble is no longer separate, [30] whose rainbows are everywhere.

Ding

[31] (sung) Breathing in I calm body and mind.../Dwelling in the present moment... (all three parts are layered in and sung 2x each layer)

[32] Have You Ever Yearned Betsy I wish your winds to unskin me. That all my busy purposes would fall from me as from a ripe tree, while I stand exposed, hands empty, heart loosened, like a tattered kite caught in your branches. I wish you to unseat me from the inherited chair that teaches custom and ordinariness, while you are thrilling out the window, great patches of green and light heaving and outflinging with your passions. Break the glass and shatter the frame. Let me stand without walls. Fling the song so huge there can be no missing your glory. Thrum me awake, unsheathe my eyes, disarm my defenses. Leave me nothing but surrender. Leave me nothing but surrender.

[33] I Lift My Prayer Laura on bass. Lorraine sings. Betsy joins. I lift my prayer on fragile wings The ones you gave to me to sing Awake my world from this dark sleep And give to us your deeper peace (2-1/2 times)

[34] WATER SECTION:

Hydrology Suite [35] Hydrogen Bonds Laura and Wendy duet: piano, xylophone, vocals Silvery water in the streams Quiet water in the ponds Water, supple, slips and ripples Making, breaking hydrogen bonds.

O to H and H to O Snuggle up and then let go Flickering clusters shrink and grow Letting liquid water flow.

Water women lay out two cloth creeks during Watershed talk. [36] “A WATERSHED is a region of land for which all waters flow to a common outlet. Not everyone lives next to a river, but everyone lives in a watershed. Here in Davis we live in the Putah Creek-Cache Creek watershed. These creeks, as well as the groundwater under our feet, flow from west to east to empty their waters into the Sacramento River.”

[37] THE RIVER IS FLOWING: Dana teaches, audience repeats. Laura drums. Wendy gives pitch cue and supports audience on piano. During Streams talk, water women begin at top of ramp in two tight pairs with folded fabric, gradually widen and unfold and join into moving river. Someone plays rain stick.

[38]“STREAMS originate in the upland reaches of a watershed. Water may bubble up from springs, and rain drains into depressions to become rivulets. The upper reaches of streams are straight, short, cold and narrow. When two streams meet, a higher order stream or young river is formed. As the river rolls downstream, its channel becomes wider, deeper, and warmer. Eventually, horseshoe-shaped bends called meanders form.”

[39] THE RIVER IS FLOWING: Dana leads, all sing. Water women meander in horseshoe shape. During Floodplain talk, water women act out ideas and create floodplain with fabric on floor.

[40]“Because of the attraction of water molecules for each other, known as hydrogen bonding, the water close to the outer edge moves faster, eroding the land on the outside of the bend. Simultaneously the more slowly moving water on the inner curve allows deposition, so a sand bar forms. Over tens or hundreds of years, this causes the meanders to migrate to create a flat, fertile FLOODPLAIN very appealing for human settlement. The riparian, or streamside habitat also nurtures many species of birds, reptiles, amphibians.”

[41] THE RIVER IS FLOWING: All sing in place! More percussion by Water Women! During Floods talk, fabric is splashed and draped on audience by Water Women.

[42] “River channels are made by the water and debris that they carry. So it is inevitable that every once in a while, more water than the channel can hold will arrive from higher than usual rainfall or snowmelt. The water overtops the riverbanks and spills out onto the floodplain. FLOODS are necessary and expected characteristics of rivers. In California we are constantly balancing our human needs for flood protection with the needs for healthy riparian ecosystems. Many dams and reservoirs allow us to live safely in Davis. We also need non- structural management approaches based on land use planning to respect rivers and their natural need to roam.”

[43] THE RIVER IS FLOWING: All sing, women wander, drape, gradually exit. Hydrogen Bonds reprise instrumental only (1x)?

[44] We Will Not Be Herded into Churches Betsy That place sheltered you, Mother. The flickering candles of prayer settled upon you like the lace veil you wore. Wherever you found a church in your travels upon this blue green planet, you settled into yourself, and were home. I followed you as young mammals do, copied your prayers, holding my hands just so. I pinned the veil upon my head, and touched the holy water making the sign of the cross — forehead, belly, shoulder to shoulder. Sometimes the music and ceremony made me weep. Sometimes the holy presence descended. Once your beloved Christ settled next to me in a pew and offered comfort. But I could not remain in those walls with the priests and their strictures. I would never belong there once the winds of love broke me open. [45] Outside, Mother, I saw the sky. I walked into the forest, and up to great granite cliffs and hidden lakes. At the edge of the ocean, a brilliant sun descended into blue. I walked to the waters and dipped my fingers. Cool salt water, sudden to the touch. I touched it to my self: forehead, belly, shoulder to shoulder, making the fourfold sign, north, south, west, east, a medicine wheel upon my body. The great firey disc blended to the sea, and all around spirits shimmered: earth, fire, water, air. And I, oh Mother, prayed as you once taught me, kneeling low, the candles flickering all around, my head bowed before the sandy altar.

[46] Water Blessing: Laura speaks: Water is Life. This is true for all of us, even the birds, animals and insects that inhabit and pass through these grounds, which are a designated green sanctuary. The fountain outside these windows is a water source for thirsty creatures, and your donations will help create another fresh and flowing water source on the far side of this campus, to increase water access for wildlife.

Let us now take a moment to enjoy the life-giving power of water. We bless this water with our gratitude, honoring the living waters of the earth and giving thanks for the essential role of water in human history, and in our present bodies. We respectfully ask that all beneficial beings and spirits present bless this water and help us to focus our gratitude and healing intention in this water ritual (sprinkle petals on water bowls).

As the water is passed, touch it in a spirit of prayer or gratitude. Anoint yourself or your loved ones with healing intention. MUSIC FOR WATER BLESSING (Lorraine, Cam, Dana pass water bowls) [47] Monica’s Smile Wendy piano solo [48] The Seasons Reign Mimi vocals/uke. Laura bass, Betsy/Laura(?) harmonies. Here in the darkness where questions abound We dig a little deeper seeking solid ground And the earth sighs in surrender Here in the shadows where there’s mist but little rain We ask for compassion as we move through our pain And the earth sighs in surrender Let the seasons reign, let the seasons reign Out of the still lake, ripples in the stream Movement to rhythms dancing like steam And the earth sighs in surrender Let the seasons reign, let the seasons reign Honor your spirit, we begin again As we rise again . . . [49] Ancestors Chant Betsy, with Wendy- piano, Laura- Bass, Mimi- uke? Ancestors, sky people all here today Hear my heart’s song, hear my respect, hear my love Hear my grateful tears fall I am truly blessed / we are truly blessed

[50] FIRE SECTION:

[51] Creation Fire Dana, Laura drums. Mimi joins, then Lorraine, then all. Curled deep in their cones and pods Seeds, they wait in the dark Months, years, sometimes decades go by As they dream of a birthing spark, oh they dream of a birthing spark

CHORUS [52] Fire makes darkness, fire makes light Fire cracks open our seeds of sight (2x)

Along comes fire with its burning halo To set those sleeping seeds free From their cones they pop, to the soil they drop Leaping from the parent tree, oh, leaping from the parent tree CHORUS

Each seed burrows down, using sun and rain To send roots deep into the earth Across the charred land behold the green shoots That emerge from the blackened dirt, oh, emerge from the blackened dirt CHORUS

They will climb and twine, grasses, flowers and vines Till they make way for towering trees Whose cones and pods cradle infant seeds Awaiting fire to set them free, oh, awaiting fire to set them free Table and candle tray carried onstage by Cam and Betsy CHORUS 4x with long “seeds” last time Flash paper at end by Lorraine

[53] Fire Circle: Pass the mic and share fire stories, then element stories Audience Participation: Pass the mic among audience for stories.

[54]Earth My Body, Water My Blood Laura leads, all sing, circle around candles. Mimi leads descant. Earth my body, water my blood Air my breath and fire my spirit And by my hands, we are woven And by my hope, we are searching And by my heart, we forgive

CLOSING and MANDALA: [55] E.B. White letter in its entirety. Mimi. “As long as there is one compassionate woman, as long as there is one upright man, the contagion may spread and the scene is not desolate. Hope is the thing that is left to us, in a bad time. I shall get up Sunday morning and wind the clock, as a contribution to order and steadfastness. Sailors have an expression about the weather: they say, the weather is a great bluffer. I guess the same is true of our human society — things can look dark, then a break shows in the clouds, and all is changed, sometimes rather suddenly. It is quite obvious that the human race has made a queer mess of life on this planet. But as a people we probably harbor seeds of goodness that have lain for a long time waiting to sprout when the conditions are right. Our curiosity, our relentlessness, our inventiveness, our ingenuity have led us into deep trouble. We can only hope that these same traits will enable us to claw our way out. Hang on to your hat. Hang on to your hope. And wind the clock, for tomorrow is another day.

[56] Our Big Love call and response song by Laura & All, with percussion. 2x. Our big love (our big love) Our ingenuity (our ingenuity) Our sacrifice (our sacrifice) Will make the difference, we will make the difference Our big hope (our big hope) Our curiosity (our curiosity) Our solidarity (our solidarity) We will make the difference, we will make the difference

[57] Mandala Invitation Dana We invite you now to rise, stones in hand, and follow us. Come back later for anything else. We will circle around a young ginkgo tree on the East patio and create an earth mandala together, a group prayer made visible. Come. Sing. Pray. Create.

[58] Navajo Prayer Betsy (all speak bold refrain) In beauty I walk With beauty before me I walk With beauty behind me I walk With beauty above me I walk With beauty around me I walk It has become beauty again Today I will walk out, today everything negative will leave me I will be as I was before, I will have a cool breeze over my body. I will have a light body, I will be happy forever, nothing will hinder me. With beauty before me I walk With beauty behind me I walk With beauty above me I walk With beauty around me I walk My words will be beautiful. In beauty all day long may I walk. Through the returning seasons, may I walk. On the trail marked with pollen may I walk. With dew about my feet, may I walk. With beauty before me I walk With beauty behind me I walk With beauty above me I walk With beauty around me I walk In old age wandering on a trail of beauty, lively, may I walk. In beauty it is begun In beauty it is ended.

[59] She is Calling Us Laura sings, drums, all join. EXIT: through South door Mandala demo by Dana/Laura. Laura leads chants, all participate and sing. The Earth Is Our Mother We Are One with the Soul of the Earth Earth My Body Prayer for Peace by David Haas (melody and low harmony/Betsy&Laura)

PRAYER FOR THE GREAT FAMILY by Gary Snyder (after a Mohawk prayer) All take hands in a giant circle or concentric circles Gratitude to Mother Earth, sailing thru night and day— and to her soil: rich, rare and sweet in our minds so be it. (Dana)

Gratitude to Plants, the sun-facing light- changing leaf and fine root hairs; standing still through wind and rain; their dance is in the flowing spiral grain in our minds so be it. (Wendy)

Gratitude to Air, bearing the soaring swift and the silent Owl at dawn. Breath of our song clear spirit breeze in our minds so be it. (Lorraine)

Gratitude to Wild Beings, our brothers, teaching secrets, freedoms and ways; who share with us their milk; self-complete, brave, and aware in our minds so be it. (Betsy)

Gratitude to the Water: clouds, lakes, rivers, glaciers; holding or releasing; streaming through all our bodies salty seas in our minds so be it. (Cam)

Gratitude to the Sun: blinding pulsing light through trunks of trees, through mists, warming caves where bears and snakes sleep— he who wakes us— in our minds so be it. (Mimi)

Gratitude to the Great Sky who holds billions of stars— and yet goes beyond that--- beyond all powers, and thoughts, and yet is within us— Grandfather Space, The Mind is his Wife so be it (Laura)

And I close with gratitude to all of you for bringing your hearts, voices, hands. Let us bow deeply, each one to all.