Tonight I finished our program and I thought that I would share it with all of you. It will look very different but the content is all there.
Graham Hawksby & Nancy Downard’s
Elmhurst Inn
“So powerful is the force of love that it is the foundation of all religions and the unbreakable thread that binds us together as a tribe, a community, a nation, and a world.”
~Anonymous~
Introduction
Handfasting is a term used for Pagan weddings. Pagans are those people who do not hold to the traditional concept of deity as found in Christianity, Judaism, or Islam. Pagans generally worship Deity in the form of the Goddess and the God also called the Lady and the Lord. Some Pagans are also known as Wiccans and Witches. Handfasting is a very old concept, dating back to the days when most people could not afford expensive metals for rings and such. In the old ceremonies, the man and woman would come together to have their hands bound together – thus the term “handfasted”. Some of these ceremonies were only binding for a year and a day, while others made the commitment for life, and some even made it for eternity, throughout all lifetimes. Modern handfastings usually include both the binding of the hands as well as the exchange of rings.
Another common element of most handfastings is the “jumping of the broom”. This is a sub-ritual found in many cultures, but most commonly recognized in the south as a remnant of slave customs. By jumping the broom, the couple symbolically leave their past behind and make a fresh start, with their lives “swept clean” of any past negativity and burdens.
This Day I Married My Best Friend
This day I married my best friend
…the one I laugh with as we share life’s wondrous zest,
as we find new enjoyments and experience all that’s best.
…the one I live for because the world seems brighter
and our happy times are better and our burdens feel much lighter.
…the one I love with every fibre of my soul.
We used to feel vaguely incomplete, now together we are whole.
~ Author Unknown~
Outline of Handfasting Ritual
Introduction of Ritual ………………………… Apryl Millard
Opening of the Circle …………………………Apryl Millard
Casting of the Circle …………………………Apryl Millard
Greetings to the Lord and Lady ……………….Apryl Millard
Blessing of the Elements …………………………Apryl Millard
Blessing of the Goddess and God ………………..Apryl Millard
Binding of the Hands and Exchange of Vows.Greg Currie
Exchange of Rings ……………………………… Greg Currie
Jumping of the Broom
Farewell to the Lord, Lady and Elements……Apryl Millard
Closing Blessing
The Knot
There have been moments I’ve wondered
If we would ever stand here
With all the tribulations and trials
And things that just wouldn’t come clear
But here now I stand before you
My heart is pounding away
As I fall into the depths of your eyes
And forget what to say
Tying the knot of eternity forever
Two souls working together as one
Feeling the magick upon us
And from behind the clouds comes the sun
Tying the knot’s not the answer
To all the problems we’ve had
But all I know is with you at my side
You conjure good from the bad
Tying the knot is the main thing,
The final way of promising true
That wherever I go, whatever I do,
I’ve chosen to share life with you
Tying the knot makes us stronger,
With you as my partner I’m fine
And with time things get better
We’ll age together like wine
Members of the Handfasting Ritual
Bride – Nancy Downard
Groom – Graham Hawksby
Officiate – Greg Currie
Priestess – Apryl Millard
Wedding Party – Ryan Evans
Deb Evans
Austin Evans
Krista Evans
Jamie Evans
Richard Hawksby
Why Marriage?
Because to the depths of me, I long to love one person, with all my heart, my soul, my mind, my body
Because I need a forever friend to trust with the intimacies of me,
who won’t hold them against me, who loves me when I’m unlikeable,
who sees the small child in me, and looks for the Divine potential of me…
Because I need to cuddle in the warmth of the night with someone who is thankful, with someone I feel blessed to hold…
Because marriage means opportunity to grow in love, in friendship…
Because, knowing this, I promise myself to take full responsibility for my spiritual, mental and physical wholeness…
As I create me, I take half of the responsibility for my marriage
As together we create our marriage…
Because with this understanding, the possibilities are endless…
Explanation of Pagan Customs:
Casting the Circle: this is a method of creating “sacred space”, or a place of positive energies for a magickal working. The Circle represents the perfect symbol of eternity, with no beginning and no end, and thus is a symbol of Divine protection. When Witches (and honoured guests) stand or sit within the circle, it is said that they meet “in a time that is not a time, in a place that is not a place, between the worlds.” In such a magickal place, anything can happen!
Magick: This is one of the most misunderstood terms found in the Craft, so spelled as to distinguish it from so-called stage “magic”. Witches define “magick” as “the deliberate manipulation of energy toward manifesting a specific goal or intent.” Therefore, magick is quite simply using thoughts, and sometimes tools as a focus, to bring something to manifestation. Magick is worked for the good of all concerned in the situation, bringing no deliberate harm to anyone. Most forms of magick relate to healing, protection, fertility, prosperity and enhancing relationships of all kinds.
Elements/Quarters: The elements/quarters refer to the four elements and directions: North–Earth, East-Air, South-Fire, West-Water. The four elements make up physical life on this plane. They are also represented in the pentacle (5-pointed star enclosed in a circle), which includes the fifth element, that of Spirit, which combines and activates the other four. The element of Spirit is represented, in terms of direction, by the centre. Again, this serves to tie the other four directions together.
Blessing for a Marriage
May your marriage bring you all the exquisite excitement a marriage should bring,
And may life grant you also patience, tolerance and understanding.
May you always need one another – not so much to fill your emptiness
As to help you to know your fullness.
A mountain needs a valley to be complete; the valley does not make the
mountain less, but more; and the valley is more a valley
because it has a mountain towering over it. So let it be with you and you.
May you need one another, but not out of weakness.
May you want one another, but not out of lack.
May you entice one another, but not compel one another.
May you embrace one another, but not encircle one another.
May you succeed in all important ways with one another,
And not fail in the little graces.
May you look for things to praise, often say “I love you!”
And take no notice of small faults.
If you have quarrels that push you apart,
May both of you hope to have good sense enough to take the first step back.
May you enter into the mystery which is
The awareness of one another’s presence –
No more physical than spiritual, warm and near when you are side by side,
And warm and near when you are in separate rooms or even distant cities.
May you have happiness,
And may you find it making one another happy.
May you have happiness,
And may you find it loving one another!
` James Dillet Freeman ~
