What is this Ceremony

THE HERSTORY

In these current times when indigenous ceremonies are being usurped and misappropriated, it is important to have a clear understanding of what the ceremony for Women of the Fourteenth Moon IS and what it IS NOT. It is also important to know how this ceremony came into being.
A woman of the fourteenth moon is a woman who has gone thirteen (13) full moons (one year) without menstruating. She is an elder, a "crone" She is a treasure of history and wisdom. She is one of our sacred wise women. In honoring our elder woman, we also honor the life path which we, as women, all share--the path from Maidenhood to Elderhood. This ceremony is a wonderful opportunity for the elder women to receive the recognition they have earned, for younger women to learn from them, and for women of all ages and nations to honor and empower and celebrate one another.
The Women of the Fourteenth Moon IS a ceremony to empower our elder women and to celebrate and honor women of all ages and nations. It IS a women's ceremony. It IS NOT a moon ceremony, or a Native-American ceremony. It was created in 1987, when three women, a Cherokee, a Celt and a jew, came together because they wanted to do something to heal the great fear of aging among women today, particularly in this society.
Drawn together by synchronicity, or "luck" as some people call it, they shared their visions. What emerged that first year, 1987, was a ceremony created by women of three different nations and meant to empower and honor women of all nations. It was a ceremony not only for the elder woman, but also for mothers and daughters, for grandmothers and granddaughters, for matrons, for maidens.
That first year the role of spiritual leader fell on the shoulders of the Cherokee woman, our beloved Sukyub'tet, june LeGrand. So the ceremony was steeped in her tradition during those first four years. Since the original intent was to "give-away" this ceremony to all women, in November 1989 june acknowledged this ceremony as one to be taught to the Circle of Flowers. And in the spring of 1990, she gave the details of this ceremony to those women who were present at that monthly sacred circle.
In 1990 the organization of this ceremony was passed on to several other groups of women. The ceremony continued in Santa Cruz and several other ceremonies were begon. One of these groups was Tina Carvalho-Ball, june's niece, and Debbie Gregg, a woman from Sukyub'tet's first Circle of Flowers. Sukyub'tet (June) continued in her original capacity as spiritual facilitator the first year of the second fouryear cycle. The Dance of Wakanka, which she had received in a vision, was given to Tina. Upon Sukyub'tet's passing in june of 1992, Pamela jones, also a woman from the Circle of Flowers, was asked and agreed to carry-on as the spiritual facilitator. She continued in this capacity, helping Tina and Debbie complete their four year commitment. In addition, other women and friends from Sukyub'tet's circles have continued to be active participants. Each year new women have identified themselves as helpers.
September 9, 1995 marked the beginning of the third four-year cycle. Holly Rice and Erica Lann-Clark, both women from Sukyub'tet's circle, became the co-facilitators for this new cycle. They have askedPamela to continue in her previous capacity.
Although these women's beginnings together are through their studentship and friendship with Sukyub'tet, they honor their own nations and traditions. One of Sukyub'tet's last teachings on May 31, 1992, was a reminder, not to mix ways but to honor our ancestors and their traditions because all sacred ways have great wisdom. In honoring our own traditions we then honor ourselves, our ancestors and future generations. In this way we help to heal ourselves and our relations. We then are better able to reach and teach our own people. It is in this way we each do a small part to help mend the Sacred Hoop so the Earth will heal.
We are respectful of each other's traditions and spiritual practices. In no way do we intend to misuse or misappropriate the ceremonies indigenous to this land. We wish to include women of all ages, of all traditions, from all nations in a celebration, empowerment and honoring of our elder woman, and the transition from matron to crone. The spiritual aspect of this ceremony will reflect the tradition of the facilitator. It is through her guidance that the ceremony maintains its sacredness and honors the elder woman.

Erica Lann-Clark Women on all spiritual paths, ages and life experiences are strongly encouraged to participate, including women who have never been to anything like this before. We welcome you to invite relatives and friends to accompany you. Since this is a women's ceremony, we ask that you leave at home your men folk, children, babies and pets. Sometimes we need to be reminded that we are worthy of a private time to be with only other women. For it is in this way we begin to remember the time when women were allowed their fullness as co-creators and caretakers of the Earth, keepers of time and keepers of themedicine.
Also, part of what has made this ceremony so special in the past are the contributions which each one of us brings to the ceremony, including drumming, singing, dancing and storytelling from their owntraditions. This ceremony creates itself. By giving the women the spaceto do what they need to do, the energy of the women becomes the ceremony. The spiritual facilitator maintains the spiritual safe place. The various activities are incorperated in a way that feels right and works for you. This is a major part of what creates the ceremony. This ceremony gives support and renewal to those women doing healing work, working to mend and heal the sacred circle of life. In this way we shall all continue to grow spiritually and create a safe place for our future generations. This is also a place for matrons to be expressive and receive strengthening and our maidens are honored as the sacredness of our future.
Our understanding of the original intent of this ceremony, is to make it a give-away to any group of women who feel guided to take it to other communities, locally, nationally and globally. Therefore, we hope that this little booklet will serve as a guide for you. We believe and were taught by Sukyub'tet that the healing of the Earth begins with the women coming together to heal and share their own healing selves in a way that empowers us all. We then have the strength of the ceremony and each other, to carry with us the rest of the year while we each continue to do our own outside work.
We, further believe that this is a sacred gift to us. The healing and power found within is without a price tag, therefore it is appropriate NOT to charge women for attendance. Trust the Great Spirit God that you will have more than enough money for printing, postage, port-a-potties, paper goods, etc.
Each woman will always share what she is able to. Each women is asked to bring food to share, a gift for the elder women, a gift for an unknown women and a gift for the land. In this way, as we each do our sincerest personal part to heal, renew and strengthen, the people will heal, the children will be born into a safe world, and our true Mother, the Earth, will be healed, nurtured and returned to balance.
Thank-you.

~ FACTS ABOUT THE MOON~

The moon is backing away from us
an inch and a half each year. That means
if you're like me and were born
around fifty years ago the moon
was a full six feet closer to the earth.
What's a person supposed to do?
I feel the gray cloud of consternation
travel across my face. I begin thinking
about the moon-lit past, how if you go back
far enough you can imagine the breathtaking
hugeness of the moon, prehistoric
solar eclipses when the moon covered the sun
so completely there was no corona, only
a darkness we had no word for.
And future eclipses will look like this: the moon
a small black pupil in the eye of the sun.
But these are bald facts.
What bothers me most is that someday
the moon will spiral right out of orbit
and all land-based life will die.
The moon keeps the oceans from swallowing
the shores, keeps the electromagnetic fields
in check at the polar ends of the earth.
And please don't tell me
what I already know, that it won't happen
for a long time. I don't care. I'm afraid
of what will happen to the moon.
Forget us. We don't deserve the moon.
Maybe we once did but not now
after all we've done. These nights
I harbor a secret pity for the moon, rolling
around alone in space without
her milky planet, her only love, a mother
who's lost a child, a bad child,
a greedy child or maybe a grown boy
who's murdered and raped, a mother
can't help it, she loves that boy
anyway, and in spite of herself
she misses him, and if you sit beside her
on the padded hospital bench
outside the door to his room you can't not
take her hand, listen to her while she
weeps, telling you how sweet he was,
how blue his eyes, and you know she's only
romanticizing, that she's conveniently
forgotten the bruises and booze,
the stolen car, the day he ripped
the phones from the walls, and you want
to slap her back to sanity, remind her
of the truth: he was a leech, a fuck-up,
a little shit, and you almost do
until she lifts her pale puffy face, her eyes
two craters, and then you can't help it
either, you know love when you see it,
you can feel its lunar strength, its brutal pull.

by Dorianne Laux

~Prayer to Grandmother Moon~

my prayer to Grandmother Moon is that
we may know and remember
her light
.....in the sky
..........in ourselves and
in each other; and carry it with us
into all our days
into all our nights....
beacon of spirit.
beacon of soul.

my prayer to Grandmother Moon is that
we may know and remember
her light
.....in the sky
..........in ourselves and
in each other; and carry it with us
into all our dw

my prayer to Grandmother Moon is that
we may know and remember
her light
.....in the sky
..........in ourselves and
in each other; and carry it with us
into all our days
into all our nights....
beacon of spirit.
beacon of soul.