October 2024 WATERritual
“Getting Ready for Election Results“
By Diann L. Neu and WATER staff
Watch the video of our October 2024 WATERritual here.
Preparation
Have a candle and matches near you.
Introduction. Call to Gather. Welcome.
Welcome to this WATERritual, “Getting Ready for Election Results.” Don’t you wish that it was over now? And we were celebrating? Instead, we are storming the heavens with every prayer that has ever had meaning for us, and working to get out the vote, and voting!
Still, in the midst of the last week of this election season, we look at a future full of questions. We hold both doubt and hope while imagining all potential outcomes, and praying not to relive the 2016 or 2009 elections. We’ll get through this together!
During this time together now, let us take a collective breath, remember and activate every spiritual practice we know, and promise to support one another through this historic fight for democracy.
We’re one week before the election. How do you feel? Take a minute and type a word in the chat box that says how you feel now, then light a candle. (Read the words.)
Song: “Guide My Feet” African American spiritual; sung by First Presbyterian Church of Brooklyn Choir at NYU, 2009 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z-WVIppNBls&ab_channel=LukusEstok
Guide my feet while I run this race (3x)
For I don’t want to run this race in vain.
Hold my hand… Stand by me… I’m your child… Guide my feet…
Headlines and Quotes
Listen to the news of our times.
- From the New York Times, October 26, 2024: “Before a Vote, Panic Buttons and Boulders.”
- From the Washington Post, October 29, 2024: “’Island of Garbage’ Joke Spurs Outrage.”
From Michelle Obama, Democratic National Convention, Chicago 2024
“It’s the contagious power of hope, the anticipation, the energy, the exhilaration of once again being on the cusp of a brighter day. The chance to vanquish the demons of fear, division, and hate that have consumed us and continue pursuing the unfinished promise of this great nation. The dream that our parents and grandparents fought and died and sacrificed for. America, hope is making a comeback.”
Song Refrain: Hold my hand while I run this race (3x)
For I don’t want to run this race in vain.
- From CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation), “Domestic extremists with ‘election-related grievances’ could turn to violence, intel bulletin warns”
- From Die Tagesschau, Deutscher Nachrichtensender, “Trump’s election campaign: No appearance without incitement against migrants”
From Barack Obama Democratic National Convention, Chicago 2024
“Do not boo! Vote…. All across America, in big cities and small towns, away from all the noise, the ties that bind us together are still there. We still coach Little League and look out for our elderly neighbors. We still feed the hungry, in churches and mosques and synagogues and temples. We still share the same pride when our Olympic athletes compete for the gold. Because the vast majority of us don’t want to live in a country that’s bitter and divided. We want something better. We want to be better.”
Song Refrain: Stand by me while I run this race (3x)
For I don’t want to run this race in vain.
- From USA Today, October 26, 2024: “Trump-aligned group is already planning lawsuits over election results”
- From the London Times, October 25 2024: “Quarter of Americans fear civil war after election, Times poll shows”
From Hillary Clinton Democratic National Convention, Chicago 2024:
“You know, the story of my life and the history of our country is that progress is possible, but not guaranteed. We have to fight for it and never, ever give up. There is always a choice. Do we push forward or pull back, come together as we the people or split into us versus them? That’s the choice we face in this election. “
Song Refrain: Guide my feet while I run this race (3x)
For I don’t want to run this race in vain.
From Kamala Harris Democratic National Convention, Chicago 2024:
“It is now our turn to do what generations before us have done, guided by optimism and faith, to fight for this country we love, to fight for the ideals we cherish and to uphold the awesome responsibility that comes with the greatest privilege on Earth: the privilege and pride of being an American. So let’s get out there, let’s fight for it. Let’s get out there, let’s vote for it, and together, let us write the next great chapter in the most extraordinary story ever told.”
Song Refrain: Guide my feet while I run this race (3x)
For I don’t want to run this race in vain.
Reflecting and Sharing in Small Groups
Let’s take some time to pause and reflect in small groups on these questions:
What words grabbed your attention in the headlines and quotes you just heard? How are you doing a week before the US elections? Where are you drawing your energy from? How are you releasing your anxieties? Who are you connecting and organizing with to keep hope alive?
Litany of Mourning
Democracy is in danger. Division, fear, and uncertainty exist. We now join together in a litany of mourning to cast out those things which are ripping us apart. After each phrase, shake your hands saying, “Be gone, be gone, be gone.”
Deep division, aggression, and rancid prejudice in this country,
(shake your hands, saying)
Response: Be gone, be gone, be gone.
Obstructions in Congress,
(shake your hands, saying)
Response: Be gone, be gone, be gone.
Misogyny, bigotry, vindictiveness, intellectual laziness, and white nationalism,
(shake your hands, saying)
Response: Be gone, be gone, be gone.
Deep divides along lines of party, race, class, gender, religion, and region,
(shake your hands, saying)
Response: Be gone, be gone, be gone.
Vulgarity, bullying, glorification of violence and hatred, and lies,
(shake your hands, saying)
Response: Be gone, be gone, be gone.
Dark fears and angry rhetoric about the future,
(shake your hands, saying)
Response: Be gone, be gone, be gone.
Beliefs that the nation may be headed for violent conflict,
(shake your hands, saying)
Response: Be gone, be gone, be gone.
Snide remarks, sexually explicit language, sexual harassment, violence at rallies,
(shake your hands, saying)
Response: Be gone, be gone, be gone.
Attacks on the media and leaders from both parties,
(shake your hands, saying)
Response: Be gone, be gone, be gone.
Walls borne out of fear and hatred,
(shake your hands, saying)
Response: Be gone, be gone, be gone.
Racist, sexist, xenophobic, , ableist, anti-Muslim, anti-Semitic, anti-LGBTQIA+ rhetoric,
(shake your hands, saying)
Response: Be gone, be gone, be gone.
The fears of our children,
(shake your hands, saying)
Response: Be gone, be gone, be gone.
Prayer for Healing by Diann Neu
(Hold your candle, and pray.)
Holy Healer of Many Names,
Yahweh, Allah, Divine Providence,
Wisdom-Sophia, Universe, Great Spirit, Giant Unifier,
May your power and grace sustain us during and after this election.
We need healing in our nations.
Response: In your mercy, grant us healing.
Eternal Holy One of our ancestors Sarah, Hagar, Abraham,
Mother of our daughters and our sons,
Ease our fears, surround us with community,
Keep alive within us a world where difference is valued.
Response: In your mercy, grant us healing.
Spirit of Peace,
Forgive us for our wars, wounds, hurts, misdeeds, violent acts, and
Our tendency to reduce others to the status of disposable.
Save us from further terrorism and destruction
So that children of all nations may live in peace.
Response: In your mercy, grant us healing.
Holy Wisdom of our mothers, Gaia, Kwan Yin, Brigit, and Pachamama,
Eve, Lilith, Miriam, Mary, Mary of Magdala, and Harriet Tubman,
Mystics, witches, crones, saints, and uppity women,
Wake us up to resist the politics of division and hate.
Wake us up to defend all peoples.
Wake us up to bring compassion and new life into the coldness of empire.
Let your songs of justice and love be heard through us across the lands.
Response: In your mercy, grant us healing.
Guardian of all people,
Help us keep our eyes on the goal of democracy.
Give us courage to address the issues that have been left to fester,
And boldness to model what love and compassion look like.
In a polarized nation in desperate need of healing,
Bring people of all political parties together
That we may work for liberty and justice for all.
Response: In your mercy, grant us healing.
Holy One of Many Names,
Guide the leaders of the United States and its allies;
Soften their hearts to hear the cries of those most in need.
Strengthen them to act responsibly to bring peace and welfare to humankind
So that all may have food, housing, jobs, equity, peace, respect, and dignity.
May the soon to be new president elect lead this nation with compassion,
and unite us beyond bigotry, hatred, and divisions.
Response: In your mercy, grant us healing.
Holy Healer of Many Names,
Yahweh, Allah, Divine Providence,
Wisdom-Sophia, Universe, Great Spirit, Giant Unifier,
Bring us together to bridge divides,
To work for healing and justice in the US and around the world
So that all creation may live in peace, forever and ever.
Response: Amen. Ashe. Let it be so.
Keep the Momentum Going. Take Action. Learn More.
Let’s take action for justice.
- Vote! If you have already done so, consider being a mode of transportation for those needing to go to the polls, or volunteer at your local polling place.
- Take time to reflect on what this election means for you and for others. Educate yourself on voter rights and where the difficulties still lie in the path of holding fair elections. Allow yourself time to empathize and to act.
- Encourage and empower young voice.
Sending Forth
Let us raise our hands in solidarity. May justice guide us. May our ancestors be with us. May our children challenge us. May we collectively make a difference in this election. May the world hear us roar! Please say after me: We are political. (Echo) Our time is now. (Echo) We make a difference. (Echo)
Election Prayer 2024 by Diann L. Neu and Mary E. Hunt
You have an important choice, consider carefully, and then
VOTE!
When democracy is threatened, take a stand, and then
VOTE!
Because you abhor violence, choose nonviolence, and then
VOTE!
When justice, choice, and freedom are on the line, clarify your commitments, and then
VOTE!
To unite the nation, to safeguard the world, get involved, and then
VOTE!
To maximize your impact, help others to the polls, and then
VOTE!
Song: “Vote” by Coalition of Labor Union Women National
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6-vnIkFR34Y&t=9s&ab_channel=CLUWNational
© 2024 WATER: Women’s Alliance for Theology, Ethics, and Ritual, dneu@hers.com
