Call to Gather in a Circle with a slow drum heartbeat
An Acknowledgment of Place was spoken

Statement of Purpose ...
“We are gathered here in communion with an International Peace Action initiated by women, taking place around the Globe over the next 2 days. We gather in solidarity with the people of Iraq - particularly the women - grandmothers, mothers, sisters, daughters, friends ... who wail at this time for lost sons or daughters, husbands, friends or lovers. It is told that every night women can be heard wailing in Baghdad, despite what we are told is the main news story. We recall that the land of Iraq exactly where the present invasion is taking place, is the ancient land of Sumeria, birthplace to much of our Western cultural and religious mythology - we are deeply involved in what is happening there.

To facilitate our remembering and lamenting here this evening we will hear small parts of ancient poetry from the land of Iraq - ancient Sumeria. It is the oldest written poetry known to humanity - 4,500 years old. It is the poetry of the Goddess Inanna lamenting the loss of Her beloved Dumuzi, joined also by his mother and sister, and calling upon the land itself to mourn the loss. We will intersperse these short readings with laments of our own.
Let us begin by taking a moment to go within”.

Centering - Breathe, breathe deep. Feel the weight of your body - feel your weight - how Earth holds you. Breathe deep … feel the Air expand in you … taste the wetness in your mouth, feel your moistness … feel the warmth of your body. Breathe into it.

Let us recall our Unity with all peoples:
(Creating the Sacred Space)

We acknowledge the direction of East - all the peoples of the Globe to our east, and also from whence we come.
We remember that all peoples are of Water - that we are Water. We feel and taste the wetness of our bodies.
We acknowledge the direction of the North - all the peoples of the Globe to our North, and also from whence we come.
We remember that all peoples are of Fire - that we are Fire.
We feel the warmth of our bodies.
We acknowledge the direction of the West - all of the peoples of the Globe to our west, and also from whence we come. We remember that all people are of Earth - that we are Earth.
We feel the weight of our bodies.
We acknowledge the direction of the South - all peoples of the Globe to our south, and also from whence we come.
We remember that all peoples are of Air - that we are Air, We breath it in, expand with it.
We are from everywhere and everytime. The ancestors stretch back behind each of us here, all the way back - see them in your mind’s eye … see all the lands they come from - all present here. And see all the descendents stretching before each of us - descendents of body and mind - the future present within us. All is present. We are at the Centre. The centre is here.

LIGHT CENTRE CANDLE

Lighting of the Candles
You may all light your candles from the centre, and reflect on these things in silence for a while.
Silence
Poetry Reading and Lamenting
A few of us will read some of the ancient poetry, and I invite you then to respond with the speaking of laments and sorrow you feel; “I grieve for … , I feel saddened by …, I weep for …”. After each speaks we will all respond to you with: “For this we grieve …”.

Diana - Reading: (p.74)
His heart filled with tears …
Dumuzi’s heart filled with tears.
Dumuzi stumbled across the steppe, weeping:
“O steppe, set up a wail for me!
O crabs in the river, mourn for me! …
O my mother, Sirtur, weep for me!”

Participant Laments:
“I grieve for …,
Response: “For this we grieve”

A BIT OF DRUM TO CUE READER

Glenys - Reading: (p.85)
“My Lady weeps bitterly for her young husband.
Inanna weeps bitterly for her young husband.
Woe for her husband! …
Woe for her house! Woe for her city!”

Participant Laments:
“I grieve for …, I weep for …, I feel saddened by …”
Response: “For this we grieve”

A BIT OF DRUM TO CUE READER

Kate - Reading: (p.86)
“Gone is my husband, …
My beloved has been taken from the city …
Before I could wrap him with a proper shroud … I say to the hills and valleys:
‘Where is my husband?’
I say to them:
‘I can no longer bring him food.
I can no longer bring him drink.’

The jackal lies in his bed.
The raven dwells in his sheepfold.
You ask me about his reed pipe?
The wind must play it for him.
You ask me about his sweet songs?
The wind must sing them for him.”

Participant Laments:
“I grieve for …, I weep for …, I feel saddened by …”
Response: “For this we grieve”
A BIT OF DRUM TO CUE READER
Kate - Reading: (p. 86-87)
“Sirtur, the mother of Dumuzi, wept for her son: …
The mother walked to the desolate place,
Sirtur walked to where Dumuzi lay…
She looked into his face. She said:
‘My child, the face is yours.
The spirit has fled. …
There is mourning in the house.
There is grief in the inner chambers.’”

Participant Laments:
“I grieve for …, I weep for …, I feel saddened by …”
Response: “For this we grieve”
A BIT OF DRUM TO CUE READER
Diana - Reading: (p.87)
“The sister wandered around the city, weeping for her brother.
Geshtinanna wandered around the city, weeping for Dumuzi:
‘O my brother! Who is your sister?
I am your sister.
O Dumuzi! Who is your mother?
I am your mother.’”

Participant Laments:
“I grieve for …, I weep for …, I feel saddened by …”
Response: “For this we grieve”

A BIT OF DRUM
Speak further if you like of your own personal losses, other national and international losses at this time .
Response: “For this we grieve”
Diana will now wail for us as it may be heard in Baghdad. We are invited to sing an old chant beneath her wail.
Diana - Wailing Song:
Ancient Mother we hear you calling, ancient Mother we hear your song Ancient Mother our grief and pain is yours, ancient Mother we taste your tears.
Silence - Slow Drum beat
Handing out Red Threads
Pass around the red threads.
“These threads may represent our sorrow, which is the beginning of Hope. Our sorrow may be an initiation into Wisdom. Some of us here are carrying wheat - it comes from celebrations of Autumn Equinox when the Loved One Persephone descends to the growing darkness. The wheat represents the Wisdom, given to Her by Her Mother, that She takes with Her to the Underworld.
These red threads may represent this Wisdom that we feel as sorrow - the beginning of Hope.
May it be so.
People were then invited to speak briefly - anything further they wanted to say.
Open the Circle ..
We have remembered that we are Air - how we feel it expand within us, as all peoples do.
May there be peace within us.
All: May there be peace within us
We have remembered that we are Earth - how we feel it in our weight, as all peoples do.
May there be peace within us.
All: May there be peace within us.
We have remembered that we are Fire - how we feel it in our warmth, as all peoples do.
May there be peace within us.
All: May there be peace within us.
We have remembered that we are Water - how we feel it and taste it in our wetness, as all peoples do.
May there be peace within us.
All: May there be peace within us
We have remembered our ancestors and descendents present. We have remembered the sorrows of our sisters and brothers in Iraq. We have remembered our own sorrows. We have remembered that this is the beginning of Hope.
May there be peace within us and between us.
All: May there be peace within us and between us.(joining hands)
The circle is open, but unbroken.
Blessed Be.