February
Holy Wisdom, Mother of Love
By Diann L. Neu
Holy Wisdom, Mother of Love beyond our Knowing,
Cradle our loved ones in your comforting bosom.
Hold them close in your loving care.
Shelter them securely in stormy weather.
Whisper words of assurance to them when they are close to stumbling.
And love them tenderly.
Forever and ever and always.
Amen. Blessed Be. Let It Be So.
© Diann L. Neu, dneu@hers.com, cofounder and codirector of WATER,
the Women’s Alliance for Theology, Ethics and Ritual
January
May Your Light Shine!
By Diann L. Neu
Light a candle in your own good company, or light several as you gather with family and friends to pray this blessing.
When you celebrate the season of light,
May your light shine.
When you share love,
May your light shine.
When you work for peace,
May your light shine.
When you teach a child about justice,
May your light shine.
When you comfort someone who is ill,
May your light shine.
When you grieve the loss of a loved one, May your light shine.
When you are challenged to change,
May your light shine.
When you (add your own intention here),
May your light shine.
Bless yourself with the light. Your light will shine.
© Diann L. Neu, dneu@hers.com, cofounder and codirector of WATER,
the Women’s Alliance for Theology, Ethics and Ritual
December
A Litany of Gift-Giving
By Diann L. Neu
Place in front of you a piece of ribbon. It represents twenty-six years of gifts that WATER has given and received. It symbolizes the gifts many still need.
Pray:
For friends who support WATER, the gift of gratitude to you.
For colleagues with whom we network and collaborate, the gift of solidarity to you.
For people living in conflict, the gift of peace to you.
For those who are ill, the gift of healing to you.
For people in despair, the gift of hope to you.
For those whose basic human needs are not met, the gift of resources to you.
For women who experience violence, the gift of justice to you.
For young girls growing up today, the gift of empowerment to you.
For the dying, the gift of peaceful passing to you.
For children, the gift of love to you.
Put your prayer into the ribbon. Give it to the universe by tying it onto a package, tree, or wreath, or share it with a friend. As we are blessed with gifts, may we also bless others.
© Diann L. Neu, dneu@hers.com, cofounder and codirector of WATER,
the Women’s Alliance for Theology, Ethics and Ritual
November
Quote by Hopi teacher Polingaysi Qoyawayma
From No Turning Back
“As I kneel at my grinding stone, I bow my head in prayer, thanking the great forces for provision.
I have received much.
I am willing to give much in return, for as
I have taught you,
there must always be a giving back for what one receives.”
October
“Chains of Fire” by Elsa Gidlow
From Elsa: I Come with My Songs, © 1986.
I know myself linked by chains of fires
To every woman who has kept a hearth.
In the resinous smoke
I smell hut, castle, cave,
Mansion and hovel,
See in the shifting flame my mother
And grandmothers out over the world.
September
Beginning Again as the Seasons Change
By Diann L. Neu
As the nights of autumn grew longer, the Druids, priests of the Celtic people of Ireland and the British Isles, feared that the sun might cease to shine, leaving the earth to the forces of evil. They believed fire re-energized the sun and drove away evil spirits. Let us bring the energy of balancing into our lives by lighting candles. (Light a candle.)
May autumn lead you into a deeper balance.
© Diann L. Neu, dneu@hers.com, cofounder and codirector of WATER,
the Women’s Alliance for Theology, Ethics and Ritual
August
Quote by Mary Oliver
From “The Summer Day“
I don’t know exactly what a prayer is.
I do know how to pay attention, how to fall down into the grass, how to kneel down in the grass, how to be idle and blessed, how to stroll through the fields, which is what I have been doing all day.
Tell me, what else should I have done?
Doesn’t everything die at last, and too soon?
Tell me, what is it you plan to do
with your one wild and precious life?
July
Quote by Julian of Norwich (1342-1419)
From Meditations with Julian of Norwhich by Brendan Doyle, c. 1983
Our soul must perform two duties.
The one is we must reverently wonder and be surprised.
The other is we must gently let go and let be, always taking pleasure in God.
June
Prayer to Divine Wisdom, Sophia-Spirit
By Diann L. Neu
May Divine Wisdom, Sophia-Spirit,
rise inside me like a rushing wind.
May Divine Wisdom, Sophia-Spirit,
leap within us like a revolutionary fire.
May Divine Wisdom, Sophia-Spirit,
flow through the world like a life-giving breath.
© Diann L. Neu, dneu@hers.com, cofounder and codirector of WATER,
the Women’s Alliance for Theology, Ethics and Ritual
May
Mother’s Day: Quote from Alice Walker
From In Search of Our Mothers’ Gardens, 1983
“No song or poem will bear my mother’s name. Yet so many of the stories that I write, that we all write, are my mother’s stories.”
April
Prayer for Renewal
By Diann L. Neu
May I be renewed.
May WATER be renewed.
May all living beings be renewed,
That abundance and peace may increase.
© Diann L. Neu, dneu@hers.com, cofounder and codirector of WATER,
the Women’s Alliance for Theology, Ethics and Ritual
March
Women’s History Month: Praise Women Leaders
By Diann L. Neu
Praise to you, women leaders of the seven continents, for your many works of justice.
Praise to you, women leaders of Asia, for confronting trafficking of women.
Praise to you, women leaders of Africa, for raising your voices to stop AIDS.
Praise to you, women leaders of Europe, for your peacekeeping.
Praise to you, women leaders of North America, for confronting economic inequities and racism.
Praise to you, women leaders of South America, for struggling against U.S. domination of your land.
Praise to you, women leaders in Antarctica, for your scientific research.
Praise to you, women leaders of Australia, for supporting indigenous cultures.
© Diann L. Neu, dneu@hers.com, cofounder and codirector of WATER,
the Women’s Alliance for Theology, Ethics and Ritual