At Yesterday’s Welcoming and Rainbow Circles we talked about processing grief as we approach the first anniversary of Hurricane Helene. Here is the closing ritual we did:

GRIEF RITUAL

ANOINTING FOR GRIEF [David Taliesin)
Asheville Raven & Crone’s Grief Oil

May you find comfort and strength
As we remember the devastation
Caused by Hurricane Helene.

CASTING THE CIRCLE—David Taliesin
Use a chevron amethyst or quartz crystal

The Light of the Divine surrounds us
The Love of the Divine enfolds us
The Power of the Divine protects us
The Presence of the Divine watches over us
Wherever we are, the Divine is. All is well.

CALLING THE QUARTERS—David Taliesin

Guardians and Ancestors of the East, Spirits of Air, we remember how your fierce winds blew during the hurricane, stirring fear in our hearts. May your winds today be a gentle breeze, clearing away any lingering fear we still hold within. Hail and welcome!

Guardians and Ancestors of the South, Spirits of Fire, we remember the piles of debris burning after the hurricane, reducing to ash what once were living trees and plants. May your flames now be a purifying fire within our bodies, releasing the trauma we still carry from Hurricane Helene. Hail and welcome!

Guardians and Ancestors of the West, Spirits of Water, we have never experienced your fury quite as much as we did on September 27, 2024. Lives and homes were lost; businesses were swept away in the raging flood. Our landscape was forever changed. May your waters now flow more softly, washing away survivor’s guilt, grief, and loss. Hail and welcome!

Guardians and Ancestors of the North, Spirits of Earth, we lost 40% of our trees in Buncombe County during the storm and its aftermath. Yet, we know that nature is resilient, and we have seen signs of healing that began this spring and continue today. Hail and welcome!

Divine Presence who is known to us by many names, we ask for your strength as we approach the first anniversary of Hurricane Helene. Continue to mend that witch is broken in us and in our community as we heal and recover from the storm. Hail and welcome!

GRIEF RITUAL

Make sure everyone has a pen and some dissolving paper. Ask participants to write whatever they wish to let go of as we approach the anniversary of Hurricane Helene. When everyone is ready, ask them to go up to the bowl, one by one, and watch what they wrote dissolve in the water. Remind them that water can be both cleansing and destructive.

CLOSING THE CIRCLE

Guardians and Spirits of the North, we thank you for your presence in our circle today. As we move forward, may we do all we can to restore our land and our community. Stay if you will, go if you must. We bid you farewell.

Guardians and Spirits of the West, we thank you for your presence in our circle today. As we move forward, may we continue to heal from the trauma of the hurricane. Help us also to be a source of healing for others. Stay if you will, go if you must. We bid you farewell.

Guardians and Spirits of the South, we thank you for your presence in our circle today. As we move forward, may we remember the lessons the hurricane taught us—lessons that have shifted our priorities and given us a new perspective. Stay if you will, go if you must. We bid you farewell.

Guardians and Spirits of the East, we thank you for your presence in our circle today. As we move forward, may our lights shine brightly. Help us to be beacons of hope and resilience. Stay if you will, go if you must. We bid you farewell.

Divine Presence, who journeys with us through storm and stillness, through loss and rebirth, we thank you for your presence in our circle today. Guide us as we continue the work of healing our community. We bid you farewell.

The circle is open but never unbroken
Because it is a circle woven in love.
Whatever energy is left in this space
We return to the earth with a spirit of gratitude.
Merry meet, merry part, and merry meet again.

Copyright ©2025 by David Taliesin, http://www.sabbatsandsabbaths.com